Spoken and Unspoken Words
by Knowledgeseeker66
Summary: Everyone needs a vacation. Even the 'Lord of Calamity' needs to take a break every now and then. With the final battle on the horizon, Velvet Crowe decides it'd be in their best interest to take a beach vacation before moving on. Are her reasons that simple or is there more to it?
1. A New Destination

**Author Notes** : I would like to welcome my readers both new and returning to my new story. As you can see on the title, it is called "Spoken and Unspoken Words". This will be my first attempt at writing a Tales of Berseria or a Tales story in general. It was a game that made me feel strongly for the story and the characters. It was one of the best games I played in recent history. It inspired me to write this. Lots of different ideas came to me, and I wasn't sure what to do with them all, so I decided for starters I would work on this.

Tales of Berseria has been my favorite game so far in 2017, and one of my favorite games in general. I've played a variety of video games, and the Tales series has greatly appealed to me, and this is most likely my favorite game so far in the Tales Series. Based on some of the reception, it would appear that a large number of Tales fans either agree or consider it one of the best. We can only hope that Bandai Namco will continue to take fan feedback and continue to produce more Tales games such as this. Playing as Anti-Heroes, who could be considered Villains from a point of view, was very interesting. I can't help but wonder if they'll produce more games of this nature in the future.

As I mentioned before, Tales of Berseria succeeded in keeping my interest in both the story and characters consistently. I always felt motivated to play the game, and I'd highly recommend playing. Even before the game was released I was a fan of Veleanor (Velvet/Eleanor) based on the promotional material making it clear they'd start out as enemies but eventually join the same side. The relationship between the two characters has a very strong and interesting development even if it isn't the main focus. I was hoping for quite a bit, and I was satisfied. Veleanor became my favorite ship of the game, especially since there is quite a bit of Les Yay between the two which kinda started off as Foe Yay. If you play the game, I hope you will agree. Whether you do or not, I'd strongly recommend playing it.

Unlike other stories I've produced, I plan on this being a 'mini-series'. The chapters won't be very long. There may be a few fight scenes in this story, but it won't be a main focus unlike my other story lines. This game is based on a DLC conversation some of the Tales characters have. They mention going on a beach vacation. That alone caused me to see a lot of potential with that, especially the dialogue exchanged between Velvet and Eleanor. It is annoying we never actually see them enjoy the beach vacation whether it'd be in the regular game or DLC, but I guess that's where fanfiction can come in handy.

I hope you'll all enjoy what I've prepared for this opening chapter. It is shorter than a lot of other things I've done in the past, but I hope you'll enjoy reading it. Please be sure to leave a review after you read it. I enjoy reading written feedback to what I've done.

/

Spoken and Unspoken Words

Chapter One: New Destination

/

All need to relax

All need to reflect and think

Please do so wisely

/

After a peaceful night's sleep, **Velvet Crowe** awakened and walked to the doors of the Van Eltia's cabin. She placed her hands on the door and opened it in time to greet the morning sun. To her, it felt like any other day on the high seas. She could see the sun peaking over the horizon. She held her bandaged left hand to her eyes to block the glare until she was sure she would be fine. She shifted her head away from the sun as she walked towards the port side. There she leaned on the railing like she normally did.

Velvet Crowe's back was to the other crew members of the Van Eltia or as their local witch would put it members of ' **Magilou's Menagerie** ' as she stared off to the horizon. While she gazed into the distance, she was smiling which until recently was a rarer sight than any treasure they could discover. No one would see this though and most wouldn't dare approach her unless they had business with her.

Remaining in this spot never got old for Velvet. She closed her eyes and took a breath. She felt the cool sea breeze blowing into her face and her thick black hair, but it didn't cause her to shiver. In fact, she enjoyed it, and she could barely feel the chill at all for good reason. She remained leaning by the port side until she heard someone's speak.

"Are you sure we'll be arriving today Eizen?" A woman's voice caused Velvet's ears to perk up. Velvet looked over her shoulder to see it was the former Exorcist who was also technically Velvet's servant, **Eleanor Hume** , speaking with the first mate of the Van Eltia, the **Malakin** ' **Eizen the Reaper** '.

"Positive." Eizen answered with his arms crossed. "I've been there a number of times over the past few years. I can tell just by the feel of the air that we're close."

Eizen stood a good head or two taller than Eleanor, but she didn't fear him. Despite his general serious or scowling face, he was an ally. He had short blonde hair and blue eyes. He generaly wore dark clothing that had a pirate aesthetic along with brown gloves and boots. He also had his signature Reaper coin on him at all times.

Eleanor nodded her head. "If you say so, I'll take your word for it."

"No better word to go by." Eizen confidentially remarked with a grin. "Anyway, I'll give you an update after I speak with Benwick."

"Sounds good to me." Eleanor replied with her back still facing away from Velvet's gaze unbeknownst to her. From the look of the former Exorcist, it looked like it would be too easy for someone to attack her and take her by surprise. However, Velvet knew that despite the former Exorcist's seemingly fragile appearance, Eleanor Hume, was not to be underestimated.

Before they were on the same side, they fought three times each more intense than the last. The first two was Eleanor fighting Velvet's group along with her Abbey supplied Malakim and follow Exorcists with their final battle being a one-on-one duel to determine their respective fates. All the battles ended in Eleanor's defeat. However, she always put up a good fight. If Velvet had let up even a little, she'd have been dead a long time ago. Eleanor's determination to keep fighting was for a lack of a better word 'admirable'. She proved herself to be a 'worthy' ally for Velvet's side.

Additionally, Eleanor Hume's appearance strongly contrasted with Velvet's. Her hair was relatively long if she let it loose, but it was nowhere near as long as Velvet's. It was properly groomed, kempt, and bright red unlike Velvet's wild dark hair. Her outfit was a special Exorcist outfit due to her having a higher ranking than other Exorcists. It was far more modest than Velvet's outfit to put it mildly. The outfit mainly consisted of white and blue with Eleanor's weapon of choice being a spear. She proved herself to be quite agile in combat. She may have lacked Rokouru's muscle, but she was plenty strong on her own.

Velvet then turned her head back staring toward the horizon. She did her best to remain fixed on what was beyond her sight. Despite all Velvet had been through, the sight beyond what could see appealed to her. As Velvet's eyesight remained fixed on what laid beyond, Eleanor turned around, and Velvet caught her attention like she always did.

Even though they were all used to it on the Van Eltia, it was difficult for Velvet's outfit and general appearance to not catch anyone's attention. Quite frankly, Velvet's outfit left little to the imagination if it could really be called an outfit at all. It would be more fitting to say Velvet was wearing rags than actual clothes.

Velvet's clothes consisted of red and black. She had a red shirt that might've been tailored to a man rather than a woman. The red shirt appeared to be hanging on by a button and a few threads which left a substantial amount of cleavage and her midriff visible. She also wore black short shorts. Her legs were covered in other rags and belts along with some armored boots that covered both her feet, and she had additional armor that covered up to her right kneecap.

In both of her armored boots, a foot blade would emerge from them if Velvet activated it. She had similar armor on her right arm that would cause an attaching sword emerge from it. She also wore a black jacket that looked stylish, but it had a noticeable hole in the back. If it wasn't for Velvet's long dark hair that was as heavy as drapes, her backside would be almost completely exposed.

One of the things that stood out most for Velvet was her left arm. It was completely covered in bandages from her finger tips to close to her shoulder blade. Most people would think it was to cover an injury, but what lied underneath her bandages is what separated her from humans.

Despite her human like appearance, Velvet was no longer considered a human being. She as a human who was turned into a **Daemon**. Specifically, she was changed to a Therion which was another classification of Daemon altogether. Velvet didn't mind too much as long as she could accomplish her goals with her power. Her goal of revenge which is what Velvet had thought about every day for over three long years. Her pursuit of it against Lord Autorious the Shepherd had caused the world to know her as the " **Lord of Calamity**."

While her goal had consistently remained the same ever since Eleanor had known her, Eleanor had noticed that Velvet's reasons for it had slightly changed over time. Something about that made Eleanor happy. In fact, it seemed to have an effect on everyone.

After looking at Velvet for a few moments, Eleanor decided to walk towards the world proclaimed, 'Lord of Calamity.' Eleanor leaned on the railing next to Velvet before greeting her, "Nice to see you're awake Velvet."

Velvet's eyes remained fixed on the horizon. "Yeah."

Eleanor looked in the direction Velvet was, and all she could see was more ocean. "Are you looking at anything in particular?"

"No …" Velvet shook her head while keeping her eyes fixed forward. "I just wanted to look out."

"I see …" Eleanor couldn't help but stare out to the seemingly never-ending ocean the stretched beyond what they could see. A sight that could never get old no matter how much a person gazed upon it. Eleanor marveled, "It is quite a sight. It never gets old." Eleanor looked at Velvet as she remarked, "It's beautiful."

"Yes …" Velvet softly replied. It sounded as if she didn't want to hear anyone else hear her response, but Eleanor's ears perked.

"Ahem." Eleanor stopped leaning on the railing and cleared her throat before quickly changing the topic, "Just so you know, Eizen said we're almost there."

"Good …" Velvet's eyes remained fixed on the horizon as she replied, "Glad to hear it." She was leaning more onto the railing than before.

The destination that 'Magilou's Menagerie' was heading towards was different from any of the others they had been to. They weren't heading there to find out some method to defeat 'Lord Artorious the Shepherd.' They weren't heading to an Earth Pulse to hunt down Therions. Nor take care of any side objectives before the final confrontation. They had a different objective in mind for this one. It was to relax and have fun.

 _ **Flap! Flap! Flap!**_

Velvet looked up to see the seagulls flying overhead. She remarked, "Looks like Eizen was probably right. We're definitely near land."

"Yes." Eleanor decided to lean against the railing next to Velvet again. She looked at the woman and told her, "I have to say this was pretty unlike you Velvet."

This time Velvet turned her head slightly to look at the former Exorcist. "What do you mean?"

"Well …" Eleanor had difficulty keeping herself from smiling as she said, "I know you've changed a lot from when we first met, but you've been so focused on wanting to kill Lord Artorious for as long as I've known you. It's almost time to fight him one last time, but you decided that you wanted us to take a break before we go through with it. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious as to why."

"…" Velvet remained silent as she broke the slight bit of eye contact she had with the former Exorcist.

"Don't get me wrong." Eleanor held up her hands to eye level as she began to shake her head and hands while she bashfully replied, "I'm not saying I'm ungrateful for a little vacation." Eleanor chuckled as she slightly lowered her eyes, "Heh." Eleanor lowered her hands and held them together behind her back as she admitted, "In fact, it's been ages since my last one." She looked Velvet in the eyes. "I'm just … you know curious what brought this on all of a sudden."

"No reason in particular." Velvet kept looking away from Eleanor and faced towards the sky as she told her companion, "We have time. That's all. Might as well use some of it. Besides," Velvet then turned her head to face Eleanor again, "I figured Phi could use a little fun. After everything that's happened, he deserves some."

"Hmph." Eleanor smiled as she nodded. "Fair enough."

Velvet turned around towards the main body of the ship, and she saw Benwick standing in the middle of the ship. Velvet immediately stepped away from the ship's railing and walked towards him with Eleanor in tow, "Hey Benwick!"

Benwick looked towards Velvet and made sure his posture was straight as he addressed her. "Yes Ma'am!"

"This Island we're heading to." Velvet asked as she crossed her arms, "Are you sure there won't be any issues from the Abbey there?"

"Not as far as I know." Benwick informed the Velvet and Eleanor, "There aren't any settlements on this Island, and it is pretty remote from any nearby places either, so it's ' **unlikely** ' anyone would've bothered to set anything up there."

"I can second that." Eizen stepped forward. "I've been there enough times that I can pretty much guarantee you that we won't have any problems while we're there."

"But …" Eleanor clearly didn't share Eizen's confidence based on her slightly nervous tone, "… things have changed, especially now. The Abbey's numbers might be starting to dwindle, but they can still be a threat. Even in light of everything that's happened, can you still be sure there won't be any members of the Abbey or Daemons?" Eleanor then glanced at Velvet. "Besides the ones we bring along?"

"Definitely." Eizen had his arms crossed as well while he informed the duo. "The islands are small and remote. Not to mention they're surrounded by a few other uninhabited islands. You're not likely to have Daemons show up where there's no people."

Eleanor considered Eizen's words before she gave her response. "I suppose that's true."

"Not to mention," Velvet placed her hand on her chin as she concluded, "the Abbey wouldn't be interested in them if they lack any strategic value like Earth Pulses."

"Exactly." Eizen replied with a grin.

"Hmph." Velvet looked to Eizen as she remarked, "I'm almost surprised you didn't suggest us going there when we were looking for a hideout."

"Please. That'd be completely impractical." Eizen pointed out, "For one, there's obviously no fortifications. These island might be remote, but ships do pass by sometimes." Eizen clarified, "They pass by them because there doesn't seem to be anything special about them." Eizen shrugged his shoulders as he explained, "If we built anything, it'd stick out like a sore thumb. I also don't think I need to remind you that Titania's fortifications were one of the main reasons things turned out even remotely well for the others."

Velvet shrugged her shoulders. "Fair enough."

Eizen began to grin as he stated, "Besides, this is our vacation spot. Why do something that could ruin it?"

Eleanor sheepishly scratched her chin. "That's also a very fair point."

"Still sounds like a good place to get a good workout and some training done." Rokorou joyfully remarked as he walked by dressed in his regular Rangetsu Samurai attire.

"Hmph." Eizen smirked as he told the wannabe Shigure, "Sure. Be my guest."

"All right. Heh. Heh." Rokourou then rushed to the cabin to finish his preparations.

Seeing Rokourou all fired up about training caused a lightbulb to trigger in Eleanor's head as she enthusiastically remarked, "You know what. Sounds like a great idea. I should try doing some as well. They do say you can get more training done on the beach."

Velvet smiled as she looked away and softly said under her breath, "Honor student." Eleanor's ears perked slightly.

"Might as well try getting some done too while we're there." Eizen shrugged as he told her, "You don't need my permission. I've got something to do of my own."

Eleanor raised an eyebrow as she inquired, "What're you going to do Eizen?"

Eizen turned his body and gave the pair a side grin as he stated, "Isn't it obvious? Overcoming my weakness." Both Velvet and Eleanor glanced at each other. "If you'll excuse me, I got some preparations to complete before we land."

Velvet put her right hand on her waist as she looked over to Eleanor and asked, "He's still trying to learn how to swim isn't he?"

Eleanor shrugged as she replied, "Sounds like it."

"Hmm …" Velvet inquired, "Out of curiosity, do you think he has a chance?"

"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure." Eleanor scratched her chin as she considered the possibilities, "I'll admit I admire his perseverance and tenacity. Most people in his position would've given up a long time ago."

"But?" Velvet asked in a deadpan tone.

Eleanor lowered her hand as she hesitantly replied, "But … I'd say it's unlikely. He is an Earth Malakim, so they're more likely than not to sink like a stone no matter how much they try." 

"Hmph." Such logic didn't appear to faze the 'Lord of Calamity' at all. "If we operated like that, we never would've gotten this far."

"Well …" Eleanor humbly admitted, "That is also true."

"Still though …" Velvet looked in Eizen's direction as she remarked, "The fact he is an Earth Malakim makes it all the more ironic that he's the first mate of a Pirate ship."

"Heh." Eleanor couldn't help but chuckle and agree. "I know right."

"Hmph." Velvet smiled slightly as she remarked, "Well I'm sure we can agree that's far from the only bizarre thing you've seen on this adventure."

Upon hearing Velvet say that, Eleanor's eyes were immediately drawn to the bandages on Velvet's left arm. "Yes … Right." Eleanor's gaze was downcast as she placed her hand on her stomach.

Velvet raised an eyebrow. Velvet shifted her body. Rather than partly facing away from Eleanor, she was completely facing the former exorcist. She asked, "Are you feeling okay?" Velvet leaned forward with her hands on her hips. "Is something wrong?"

"Uh …" Eleanor's eyes widened slightly as she was taken aback and answered, "Yes. Of course I'm okay. Why?"

"Well …" Velvet backed off and stood up straight as she told Eleanor, "Something seemed a little 'off' about you just now. You're not sick or faint are you?"

"No." Eleanor shook her head, "I'm fine."

"I hope so." Velvet glanced away a little as she told Eleanor, "It wouldn't do anyone any good if you get sick before we arrive." Velvet completely averted her eyes. "I know Phi wouldn't like it."

"I know … I was just …" Eleanor's eyes landed on Velvet's bandages again, "… distracted."

Velvet looked towards Eleanor again and told her, "If you are feeling sick, I can get you some **Sale'tomah** ," the mere mention of the word was enough to cause the hairs on the back of Eleanor's head to stiffen and her stomach to churn, "I'm sure we still have some …"

Eleanor raised and shook her hands and almost shouted, "No! I definitely don't need Sale'tomah!"

"…" Velvet was caught off-guard as her eyes slightly widened. Eleanor usually didn't interrupt her when she was speaking.

"Velvet." Eleanor's voice was far calmer as she told her friend, "I appreciate the concern. I really do, but I really don't need it. If I do, I'll tell you myself. You can even force feed it if you have to. All right?"

"…" Velvet took a moment before replying, "Very well." Velvet then turned around to walk away from the former Exorcist.

Before Velvet could walk way, Eleanor felt her arm involuntarily reach out before she stopped herself. She said out loud to the retreating Therion, "Hold on. There is actually something I have been worried about."

Velvet looked over her shoulder before asking, "What is it?"

"Um …" Eleanor's eyes kept being drawn to Velvet's arm as she attempted to spit it out, "… I was wondering …"

Velvet turned around and told the former exorcist, "Come on. Out with it." Velvet grinned as she told her, "I promise I won't eat you."

"Hmph." Eleanor could feel her cheeks puff up slightly at that last remark, "That's reassuring."

"Heh." Velvet chuckled as well.

Eleanor sighed before finally asking her question, "All right. I was wondering if you can swim with those … you know …" Eleanor motioned to Velvet's left arm, "… bandages."

"Ah …" Velvet looked at her left arm before looking back at Eleanor, "That might actually be a good question."

Eleanor's eyes widened slightly as she asked, "Are you serious?"

"Only a little." Velvet crossed her arms. "I think it'll be fine. It's not like water bothered them before. Only I have been able to remove them."

"Hmm …" Eleanor felt less than assured as she said, "… I hope you're right."

Velvet asked, "Are you that concerned?"

"A little … I mean …" Eleanor glanced to the side, "Laphicet's been looking forward to this. He'll like playing in the water, and I'm sure he'd be disappointed if you couldn't play in the water with him." 

"Don't worry." Velvet smiled as she replied, "I'll try not to let him down. If I do, I expect you to pick up the slack."

Eleanor returned the smile. "I'll be more than happy to."

Benwick proudly proclaimed, "Land Ho! We'll be landing soon!" 

"Well that's perfect timing." Velvet remarked as she walked over to the side of the ship. She leaned over the railing. The wind caused her long hair to lightly blow along with the breeze as she saw the island was not far away.

Eleanor excitedly said, "This is going to be fun." 

Velvet moved away from the railing and faced the former Exorcist as she said, "By the way, I'll be happy to help you out."

"Hmm?" Eleanor wasn't entirely sure what Velvet was referring to.

Velvet reminded her, "You mentioned wanting to get some training on the side would be good. I'd be …" Velvet felt oddly hesitant as she offered as she glanced away, "… fine with being your sparring partner if you want."

"Oh." Eleanor was slightly surprised by the offer, but she was more than happy to accept, "Thank you. I think I'll take you up on it."

Velvet grinned as she looked at Eleanor again, "Glad to hear it." Velvet then added, "I'd also recommend doing it away from the others."

"Huh?" Eleanor looked towards the other people in their group before looking back at Velvet and asked, "Why do you say that?"

"Well …" Velvet took a moment. Her eyes were scanning the area before she saw Laphicet talking to Eizen and told Eleanor, "This is Phi's first vacation, and I'd like him to focus on that." Velvet then quickly added, "Not to mention, I'd rather the others not make us into a spectacle."

"Hmm …" Eleanor considered Velvet's words as she scratched her chin for a few moments before replying, "Good points. How about we play it by ear?"

Velvet nodded her head, "Sounds good to me."

/

 **Omake** :

Velvet: What are we doing here?

Eleanor: These are called omakes? Apparently, the author was partly inspired to create these omakes for some of the other stories due to being a fan of the Tales series for years.

Velvet: To think the author actually is producing a Tales related story now.

Eleanor: I guess it was only a matter of time.

Velvet: So what should we do now? Are we supposed to give a preview of the next chapter or something?

Eleanor: Actually no. Apparently, we're supposed to talk about a bunch of random things like what happened in the chapter.

Velvet: Seriously?

Eleanor: Yeah. Pretty much.

Velvet: Okay? Then what're you thoughts?

Eleanor: Me?

Velvet: (bored) Yes. You. Spill it.

Eleanor: Um … I think it went well. I guess there was a bit of awkwardness on my part.

Velvet: You did say you were a little awkward but good with your hands.

Eleanor: I did say that to you once didn't I?

Velvet: (grinned) It's been proven true. Anyway, I think we should probably leave it at that.

Eleanor: Yeah. Next time we'll be starting our vacation and heading to the beach.

Velvet: Sounds good to me. In the meantime, I think we should probably do the other thing I'm sure the author wants us to do.

Elenaor: (nods) Right.

Velvet & Eleanor: We hope you enjoyed this pilot chapter and be sure to leave a review. See you next time.

/

 **Author Notes** : As I previously mentioned, this chapter is a lot shorter than what I usually produce. However, this story is also different than what I usually write. As I mentioned before, I don't plan on there being a lot of fighting. The story is supposed to be more romantic in nature as you can probably see. Additionally, this was meant to be a one or two shot at most, but I thought it could be a little longer than that.

Despite how relatively short this chapter was, this chapter more or less completed one of the main points of what I wanted to do. I wanted to give Velvet and Eleanor a meaningful moment before they decided to temporarily let go of their concerns for the future and simply enjoy the moment that laid before them.

As in the game, Velvet is a total tsundere for Eleanor. Velvet is not always completely honest with how she feels on certain topics, especially in regards to Eleanor's wellbeing, but she cares. One of the interesting aspects of their relationship. To be honest, I feel like with how their relationship developed becoming a romantic pairings would have been in the ballpark.

The possibility of a beach vacation might be canonical in Tales of Berseria due to the skit revolving around it being released in the second batch of DLC skits. Based on the character's personality developments and their relationship with each other, I would say the time this would take place would most definitely take place after the battle with Aifred.

A fellow writer and Veleanor fan, Little Donkey and I actually discussed a possible timeframe this could have taken place in. We came to the conclusion that this could have taken place after the battle with the Legate and prior to the final battle. It would make sense because after the Legates were defeated and the Empyreans were awakened, Innomiant was more or less forced to flee into space since its domain was suppressed. How ironic and karmic that 'Innomiant the Suppressor' ended up getting suppressed himself.

As a result of Innomiant getting suppressed, it gave the group sometime to take care of anything else on their agendas before heading out since they knew there would be no turning back after they began. That's why it makes sense story wise, the remaining side quests could be completed prior to the final battle. Additionally, it seems like Velvet would be willing to give the group, especially Laphicet a chance to enjoy themselves a little. She definitely would not have done that early on, but her rough edges did get smoothed a little over the course of the game. She would definitely want Phi to be happy.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the Veleanor interactions. I hope I did a good job portraying their dialogue and body language. Whether you did or not, I'd greatly appreciate a review. Please leave a review and see you next time.


	2. Unspoken Trust

**Author Notes** : I see the irony of this update. The first chapter was released at the beginning of Summer 2017 now the second chapter is released six months later at the beginning of Winter 2017-2018. To be honest, I never expected there to be a significant gap between updates. However, as I mentioned in one of the other stories I updated, I more or less took an on-and-off hiatus from writing for a while after certain things changed for me. I did keep up my writing, but it wasn't as committed due to how things were going.

After I started getting back into writing, I didn't get back into writing this story specifically right away. I was focused on a few other stories instead. However, I did promise myself, I'd update this story again before 2017 was over, and I'm satisfied I was able to accomplish that. I also intend to see this through.

As you can surmise, I will be continuing this chapter directly where the previous chapter left off. I plan on providing some detail on the vacation for Magilou's Menagerie. It has been a lot of fun writing this story so far, and I look forward to producing more chapters for this story as well. While it might end up being about six chapters or so, I'll find out as I continue the planning and writing for it.

At this point, I couldn't tell you how many chapters it will end up being, but I guess that is part of the fun of creating a story. You really shouldn't try setting it for a finite number of installments unless you are certain it will be reaching its end soon. Originally, I was planning on this story being a one or two chapter story, but I decided that wasn't fun enough. As a result, I made this a full out mini-series. With the scenes and dialogue I wish to incorporate into this story, I feel like that would be for the best. Unless I made the one or two chapters extraordinarily long, it would have just been far too rushed, and I prefer not to do that.

I would greatly appreciate reviews/comments for this chapter. Feedback on my work means a lot since I do my best to produce these chapter. Hopefully, the effort I put into the chapter will result in your enjoyment. I hope you will enjoy reading this chapter, and I hope to read your reactions to it.

/

Spoken and Unspoken Words

Chapter Two: Unspoken Trust

/

We know things have changed

I know that you have my back

You know I have yours

/

As soon as **Van Eltia** reached its destination, the ship pulled up to the island's makeshift dock that the **Aifread Pirates** had constructed. The excitement of everyone onboard was through the roof, especially with Laphicet. As soon as the ship was docking, Laphicet's giddiness was plain as day. When the ramp was put down, Laphicet was the first to rush off the ship with Rokurou close in tow. They were both still wearing their normal outfits when they rushed off.

Laphicet took off his shoes as soon as he reached the beach. He could feel the sand between his toes. While he had seen beaches before, he was never able to enjoy them at his leisure before today. Likewise, Rokurou couldn't help but grin at the sight of this display.

"Hey Laphicet." Rokurou remarked, "You sure seem happy."

"Of course I am." The sound of Laphicet's voice matched his enthusiastic behavior as he said, "This'll be my first island vacation." He jumped up and down as he happily said, "I'm so excited!"

"Hey!" Rokurou played along with the excitement as he suggested, "Let's make a stag beetle fight a hermit crab and see which is stronger!"

Laphicet jumped at the suggestion, "Yeah! I want to see sea anemone fight too!"

Velvet stepped in and reminded the young Malak, "Remember that we're doing this to relax. Don't get all excited and hurt yourself." Velvet then sternly told Laphicet, "And make sure you stretch before you go swimming, all right?"

Laphicet nodded, "Yeah. All right."

Without any warning, Magilou appeared next to Velvet wearing a purple bikini that left little to the imagination. As soon as Velvet saw her, she couldn't help but look away. Magilou could be seen eagerly waving her finger proclaiming to Laphicet, "No, no my dear boy! This is a vacation! You should be cutting loose, and enjoy a summer of freedom!" Magilou put her right hand on her chest and held her left arm in the air as if she was accepting praise from an unseen audience for a performance as she theatrically told the young Malak, "When you grow up, your experiences will turn into **sad** memories."

"Huh?" Laphicet tilted his head. His earlier enthusiasm was completely absent from his voice as he asked, "Why would they be sad?"

"…" Velvet bit her lip as she remained silent. She decided to let Magilou continue with her theatrics.

With a strange sense of sincerity, Magilou playfully told Laphicet, "I know it sounds strange, but trust me. I know."

Laphicet didn't seem convinced as he replied, "If you say so …"

"…" Velvet remained silent as she crossed her arms. She wasn't sure if she should use this moment to prevent any more of this back and forth, but thankfully someone else decided to.

Rokurou had his hands on his hips as his voice attempted to bring back the earlier enthusiasm, "Hey, it's a vacation! Time to eat, drink, fish, and be merry!" He closed his eyes as he 'merrily' stated, "We can do what we want without worry!"

Velvet couldn't help but feel slightly irritated as she spoke up, "And that isn't what you always do?"

"Oh!" Rokurou had his hand on his chin as he casually and proudly remarked, "Now that you put it that way, I guess I'm always on vacation."

Velvet couldn't help but shake her head and sigh at the spectacle that was Rokurou. She could only hope Laphicet wouldn't pick up any of those habits.

"Oh my Magilou!" Velvet looked over her shoulder to see Eleanor blushing at the sight of Magilou's 'barely there bikini' as she questioned, "Do you really intend to wear that in public?"

Velvet couldn't help but think, _"What public?"_

Magilou flaunted her practically nonexistent figure as she proudly and theatrically replied without shame, "Indeed I do! A summer flower wilts all too soon. I must ensure I enjoy my time while I have it!"

Velvet rolled her eyes and looked away from Magilou as she told the scantily clad witch, "I won't stop you, but you should at least be careful of sunburns."

"Oh!" Eleanor put her hand in a bag she was carrying, "I have sunblock if you'd like." She held up the container and offered it to Magilou.

Magilou walked towards Eleanor and accepted the offering as she happily replied, "Ahh. You're too kind."

The first thing that came to Velvet to say was, "I see you came prepared honor student. Looks like you're ready to enjoy yourself, too, huh?"

Suddenly Eleanor became defensive as she replied, "I- I have sensitive skin." Eleanor averted her eyes from Velvet as she put her hands behind her back and she replied in a bashful tone, "And I haven't had time off in years … and … um …" Eleanor began to trail off.

"I'm not judging." Velvet smiled as she offered, "I'll do your back later if you want."

"Oh …" Eleanor's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but her expression quickly softened as she said, "Thank you very much."

Magilou grinned as she moved towards Velvet and said, "Velvet dear, could you do mine too?"

Velvet replied with a less than enthusiastic tone, "Yeah, yeah. You're such a pain."

Eizen came passing by already dressed in his swimsuit along with a lot of 'penyon floaties' attached to his hip. He proclaimed, "I'll try to set a new record for distance swimming."

"Are you seriously going through with that Eizen?" Velvet asked, "Why punish yourself like that?"

"Don't try and stop me. An athlete always seeks new frontiers." Eizen put his hands on his hips and looked to the sky as he gladly proclaimed, "With my penygon floaties, I'm a champion level swimmer." He seemed fully convinced of that.

"Yeah …" Velvet shrugged off as she replied in a deadpan tone, "You do your thing."

"I intended to." Eizen then took off on his own and jumped in the water.

"Better put on my suit too." Rokorou offhandedly remarked as he headed back to the ship. Velvet could see the remainder of the crew was busy getting ready to have some fun in the sun as well.

"Ugh …" Velvet groaned as she put her right hand on her forehead. "All this is even more tiring than normal. Some simple noodles for lunch will do fine." Eleanor looked rather amused as Velvet said that.

Laphicet decided to chime in, "You should get take time to relax, too, Velvet."

"Yes." Eleanor wholeheartedly agreed as she said, "You seem like a mother during summer vacation."

"Ah …" Velvet had her hand on her forehead again as she attempted to say, "That's totally …" Velvet then eased up as admitted, "… the case isn't it?"

"Mmm. Hmph." Eleanor grinned as she happily replied, "It certainly is. You really should take it easy."

"Fine. In that case, I'm going to get my swimsuit on." Velvet began to walk back towards the ship as she told the two, "I suggest you two do the same?"

"Hold on!" Eleanor asked in surprise, "You actually have a swimsuit?"

"Yeah." Velvet asked, "Did you think I was going to go dressed like this?"

"Well um …" Eleanor put her hands behind her back and looked to the side as she said, "It's just the way you dress already you um …"

"Yeah, yeah." Velvet waved her hand. "I get it. Just get your swimsuit on. I'll be right back."

"Sorry Velvet." Eleanor attempted to apologize, "I didn't mean that-"

"It's fine." Velvet stated, "I'd probably ask the same thing if I was you. Anyway, I'm going to get changed. You should too." Velvet then looked at Laphicet, "And Phi."

"Yes Velvet." Laphicet replied.

"Make sure to wear that swimsuit we bought the other day." Velvet sternly told the young Malak, "I know you're excited to be here, but don't ruin your regular clothes and don't let that swimsuit of yours go to waste."

Laphicet assured Velvet in a tired tone, "Don't worry I won't."

"Good." Velvet walked back to the ship and said, "I'll see you out here in a few minutes."

Eleanor looked at Laphicet and said, "We should probably go back too."

"Yeah." Laphicet nodded in response.

Magilou watched the three of them head back to the ship. She couldn't help but sigh at the sight of them as she decided to set up her little stomping grounds with a blanket, chair, and umbrella. She decided to sit and stretch out on her little beach chair until they returned.

/

It didn't take long for Velvet to change. After Velvet was finished, she walked on the beach wearing her swimsuit. She was wearing a black bikini that matched her hair, but she wore other clothes over it. She wore blue, torn short shorts and a multi-colored open shirt that had a mixture of purplish and reddish colors that she had tied in the middle.

When Velvet walked on the hot sand, the feeling of it didn't bother her like it would most people. Oddly, it gave her a sensation that she was not used to experiencing. Feeling the sand between her toes gave her a pleasant feeling. She wasn't quite sure how to describe the sensation, but she was enjoying it. The feeling was interrupted when Laphicet returned.

Laphicet was a white sports cap backwards, so his trademark hair antenna would be able to stand up. He also was wearing a navy-blue swimsuit with a green and white jacket that oddly enough had red and blue pockets. The first thing he asked was, "How do I look Velvet?"

"Hmph." Velvet smiled as she answered, "It looks great on you."

A light blush began to form on Laphicet's face as he bashfully replied, "T- Thanks. You look good too."

"Thank you." Velvet replied.

"Where's Eleanor?" Laphicet looked around, but the former Exorcist was nowhere to be seen.

"She's probably still getting ready." Velvet told the young Malak, "You can go down to the water if you want. I'll wait here for her, and I can keep an eye on you from here."

"Are you sure?" Laphicet tilted his head.

"Yeah. Go have fun." Velvet smiled as she told him.

Laphicet hesitantly said, "Okay then …"

Luckily for Velvet and Laphicet, Rokurou picked the appropriate time to interject as he patted Laphicet on the back which nearly caused Laphicet to fall over, "No need to worry little guy. We can do plenty of stuff together."

Rokurou came walking over wearing an outfit that was styled similar to his normal clothing, but it appeared to be a black and orange yukata with flower designs on the orange half. Additionally, rather than carrying around his prized 'sword' on his back, he was carrying a fishing pole instead.

As if he could read Velvet's mind, Rokurou grinned as he said to her, "You don't have to worry about this little guy." Rokurou put his hand on Laphicet's hat and ruffled his head. "Your favorite Daemon Rokurou will keep an eye on him."

"…" Velvet couldn't help but stare and roll her eyes at the display before reluctantly agreeing, "Fine, but don't wander off anywhere."

Rokurou snapped his fingers as he enthusiastically complied, "Will do." He turned to Laphicet and asked, "So what do you want to do first? Wanna to do the stag beetle fighting thing?"

"Hmm …" Laphicet had his arms crossed before deciding, "Actually, I'd like to go swimming first."

Rokurou grinned, "Excellent choice."

Before the two walked away, Velvet asked, "You both did put sunscreen on right?"

"I did." Laphicet replied.

Strangely, Velvet looked to Rokurou who playfully said with a grin, "Oh you care about me too? That's so sweet."

"…" Velvet remained silent as she stared in Rokurou's direction.

"Fine. I did." Rokurou motioned to Magilou who was sitting under her umbrella, "Magilou gave me some already."

" _You mean she gave you Eleanor's sunscreen"_ Velvet thought. She then let out a sigh and told the two, "Fine. Go on and swim."

It was an order Rokurou was more than happy to obey. "Yes ma'am." He looked to Laphicet and gestured him to follow. "Come on little guy. The water isn't going to splash itself."

"Okay!" Laphicet eagerly said as he followed behind the samurai.

"…" Velvet remained standing on the beach as she watched the two run towards the sand.

"Well that was something." Velvet's ears perked up as she heard Eleanor walking towards her. "You really can act like the 'Mom' of this group to more than just Laphicet."

Eleanor was not wearing her trademark ponytail. Her red hair was worn down straight with a white headband that appeared to have two white and green feathers attached to it. She was wearing a black bikini as well, but Eleanor was wearing a blue dress with white frills and white pokadots over it.

"Um …" Velvet hesitantly asked, "… Is that what you're going to wear?"

Eleanor looked down on her body and asked, "Is there a problem?" She looked behind her to see if there were any tares. "I've never actually worn this before. I bought it at one of the shops we passed by in town, so I only wore it to see if it fit." Eleanor moved her body as she asked, "Does it look weird?"

"No." Velvet shook her head. "It- It looks good on you." Velvet immediately added, "And you look different without your ponytails. I can hardly recognize you without them."

"Hmm …" Eleanor put her hand in her hair as she remarked, "I guess it would seem a little strange to you without them …"

Velvet averted her gaze and had her hands on her hips as she remarked, "There's nothing wrong with that. I'm just saying I'm not used to seeing that. That's all."

"I see …" Eleanor replied as she looked Velvet up and down. She then said, "You look pretty good yourself."

"Th- I appreciate that." Velvet replied as her eyes remained averted from Eleanor's.

Without thinking, Eleanor blurted, "You know. I think your swimsuit is actually less revealing that your normal attire …" Eleanor's eyes widened as she put her right hand over her mouth. "Um … I mean …"

"Meh …" Velvet shrugged it off as she looked in Eleanor's direction. "You're not the only one who thinks that, but I wouldn't feel like fighting in this."

"Heh …" Eleanor uneasily chuckled, "That's ironic."

"Anyway," Velvet looked to the side as she awkwardly stated, "I **do** think you're … outfit looks good. It's very fitting for you. I really mean it." A light blush formed on Velvet's face. "Those feathers look nice."

"Ah!" Eleanor touched her headband with white and green feathers attached. A light blush began to form on Eleanor's face as she replied, "Um … Thank you very much …"

"Ohhhh!" Velvet and Eleanor's ears perked at the sound of the mischievous witch chiming in. Velvet looked to see Magilou was still stretched out on her beach chair under her umbrella who had a Cheshire cat grin as she remarked, "Sounds like someone's disappointed."

"Wha-" A light blush formed on Velvet's cheeks as she asked, "What're you talking about?"

"Oh nothing." Magilou casual said with a grin before reminding Velvet, "Don't forget Velvet dear. You promised to put some sunscreen on my back." Magilou held up the bottle of sunscreen for Velvet to take. "Remember?"

"… Fine." Velvet walked over to Magilou's blanket and grabbed it from her possession. Velvet looked back and told Eleanor, "I'll do your back after I'm done our little witch here."

"Okay." Eleanor nodded, "I'll be right back."

Velvet sighed as she put some of the sunscreen on her hands. "Let's get this over with."

"That's the wrong attitude to have Velvet dear." Magilou laid on her blanket eagerly awaiting Velvet's service.

"Just don't be a pain for once." Velvet lamented. "I'm doing you the favor. Remember?"

"Fine, fine." Magilou kicking her legs up and down as if she was swimming while she laid on the blanket.

"Ugh …" Velvet groaned as she reluctantly put the sunscreen on Magilou's back.

"Ahhh!" Magilou let out a relieved sigh as the cold sunscreen spread across her back by Velvet's fingers. "That's the spot Velvet. Keep doing it like that."

"Wow." Velvet replied in a deadpan tone, "You really know how to make things awkward."

"Heh, heh." Magilou chuckled. "That's just how I do things."

"…" Velvet decided not to reply that time.

"Oh!" Magilou expressed in a teasingly exaggerated tone, "A maiden's heart! Such a fragile but beautiful thing! Pure yet so vulnerable!"

Velvet was done putting sunscreen on Magilou's back as she asked in an irritated voice, "Who are you calling a 'maiden'?"

"Oh." Magilou teasingly said as she looked over her shoulder. She rested her chin on her right hand with her elbow on the blanket acting as support. She had a devious grin on her face as she said, "No one in particular. I'm just pointing out a problem that happens to us all."

Velvet had her arms crossed as she asked, "Meaning?"

"Hmph." The grin on Magilou's face wouldn't disappear as she replied, "Wouldn't you like to know." Without warning, Magilou got up from the blanket and bolted away, "Well, I'm off! Thanks a lot Velvet!"

"Hey wait!" Velvet stood up but didn't give Magilou chase as she demanded, "Get back here!" Seeing that Magilou had no intention of complying, Velvet put her hand on her forehead as she groaned, "Ugh … I swear she's a real pain in the ass."

"What was that about?" Eleanor asked as she approached Velvet.

"Um …" Velvet cleared her throat before answering, "Nothing much. Just Magilou being Magilou."

"Figures." Eleanor replied with her arms crossed, "That can be a lot to deal with."

Velvet sighed as she scratched her head. "You're telling me. I've had to put up with that ever since I escaped from Titaintia." Velvet rubbed her forehead and pushed her hair back as she let out another groan, "Ugh …"

Eleanor uncrossed her arms as she took a step closer and asked out of concern, "Velvet. Did she say something that really upset you this time?"

"No …" Velvet felt herself tense up as she defensively asked, "Why do you ask?"

"Well … how to do I put it? Hmm …" Eleanor crossed her arms as she took a moment before coming up with her response, "… Usually whenever Magilou annoys you, you're able to shrug it off and get over it pretty fast. Eleanor put her hand over her mouth as she chuckled, "Heh. Heh. You know. I still remember that time you stuffed some saleh'toma down her throat to get even. That was actually pretty funny."

Velvet asked, "You're point being?"

Eleanor crossed her arms again as she replied, "Well something seems a little different. Did she get under your skin or-?"

"It's nothing." Velvet cut Eleanor off.

"Oh …" Eleanor seemed a little disheartened by Velvet's response. "Okay."

Velvet took a breath before stating, "Anyway, my offer to put sunscreen on your back still stands." Velvet smiled again as she reiterated her offer, "Would you like to take me up on that?"

Eleanor eased up as well and accepted, "Sure. Thank you."

Velvet replied, "No problem."

Eleanor pulled the blue dress she was wearing off of her. Velvet could see Eleanor wearing a black bikini that showed her figure, but she could also see the scar on Eleanor's chest. A scar she had heard about before.

Velvet's eyes lowered as she thought to herself, _"That's right …"_

As if Eleanor could read Velvet's mind, Eleanor had her hands behind her back as she remarked, "It's ugly isn't it …?"

Velvet's ears perked at Eleanor's response as she replied, "That's not what I was going for. I'm sorry. I just … I kinda forgot about that. I was caught off guard a little. I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Eleanor shook her head. "A Daemon may've done that to me, but it wasn't you. You're not like that Daemon. You're not a monster."

Velvet could barely bring herself to reply, "Eleanor …"

"Let's not get into this." Eleanor walked towards the blanket and kneeled down. "I'd like to enjoy this day in the sun while we can." Eleanor laid her body on the blanket with her back to Velvet. "If you don't mind Velvet?"

"Of course not." Velvet put sunscreen on her hands while Eleanor rested on the blanket. "Sorry if the bandages feel weird."

"It's fine." Eleanor replied as she waited for Velvet to. "AH!" Eleanor tensed up briefly from feeling the cool sunscreen touch her skin before managing to calm down at the feeling of Velvet's touch. "Ahhh …" Eleanor felt her head sink into the blanket.

Eleanor could feel the cool sunscreen on her back contrasting to the heat in the air, but she couldn't bring herself to care. The feeling of both the cool sunscreen spreading across her back along with being massaged by Velvet's hands caused Eleanor to feel relaxed. She felt at peace. A feeling she never would have imagined a Daemon causing her to feel.

While Velvet continued to apply sunscreen, Eleanor's eyes were closed as her head laid on the blanket. She could hear the sounds of the waves hitting the beach and the birds chirping. She could also heard the distant sounds of Laphicet and Rokurou playing. This felt like a true moment of bliss. She felt as if she could fall asleep at any moment until she heard Velvet speak.

Velvet mused, "Who would've thought an Exorcist would be willing to accept the services of 'the Lord of Calamity'." Velvet couldn't help but chuckle at the irony.

"Well I am …" Eleanor replied with one eye open before closing it again. "They don't know what they're missing out on."

"…" Velvet remained quiet as she finished applying the sunscreen. "Okay. I'm finished."

"Hmm …" Eleanor almost seemed disappointed as she sat up and replied, "Thanks for the help Velvet." She then eagerly asked, "Would you like me to do the same?"

"I don't think you need to." Velvet replied while remaining in the kneeling position. "I'm a Therion remember?" Velvet's left hand touched her bandaged right arm. "I don't really get cold, and I'm sure I won't get sunburn either. So I don't-"

"Unacceptable!" Eleanor interrupted Velvet.

"!" Velvet's eyes widened at Eleanor's sudden interruption.

"I don't care if you are a Daemon or a human!" Eleanor stated, "You're not going out there without the proper sun protection applied to your skin! You got that!"

"…" Velvet's widened eyes returned to normal as she reluctantly relented, "… Fine."

"Okay. Then let's switch." Eleanor got out of the way so Velvet could take her spot in lying on the blanket. Eleanor then said, "You should take off your jacket please."

"…" Velvet laid there for a moment before kneeling up and undoing the knot in her jacket and removing it leaving her with just her bikini which caused Eleanor to lightly blush which Velvet did not see as she laid on the blanket again.

Afterwards, Eleanor began applying sunscreen on Velvet. When most humans would react to the cold sunscreen touching their skin, Velvet had no reaction. Instead, Velvet reacted to the feeling of Eleanor's smooth hands massaging her lower back. "Ahh …" Velvet instinctively let out a relaxed sigh as it was her turn to enjoy the same bliss Eleanor had.

/

While Velvet and Eleanor were going through their sunscreen application session, Magilou watched from the distance with her binoculars. She wished she had some popcorn to enjoy the show. Alongside her was her 'Normin' partner, Bienfu, who was watching the show as well. Bienfu looked the same as he always did with his purple skin, white belly spot, red wings, and a top hat that covered the top half of his face like a mask that even had eyeholes. Anyone who saw him would think he was a stuffed toy given his size.

Bienfu's enthusiasm or rather lack of it was evident from how he sat down on the sand and asked with a bored tone of his voice, "How much longer are we going to watch this Miss. Magilou?"

"As long as we have to." Magilou shrugged her shoulders as she said in a distressed tone, "Honestly. Those two can be so fun, but so frustrating to watch. It's like 'funstrating'."

Bienfu asked, "Funstrating'?"

"A combination of 'fun' and 'frustrating'." Magilou grinned as she was pleased with herself. "I'm sure even you can admire the genius of such a word."

Bienfu shook his head. "I don't think Eizen would agree."

"Whatever." Magilou shrugged as she dismissively remarked, "Not like he knows any better."

"Actually," Bienfu quickly corrected Magilou, "Eizen and Madam Eleanor know a lot about a lot of stuff."

Before Bienfu had a chance to react, Magilou began poking his left cheek really hard, "AHH!"

"Not what I was getting at Bienfu." Magilou remarked in an irritated tone, "I'm concentrating on this 'funstrating' show unfolding in front of me." Magilou withdrew her finger and then went back to watching Eleanor and Velvet.

"So you're just going to keep watching them?" Bienfu pointed out, "That's kinda creepy."

"Like you're one to talk." Magilou countered. "Besides, didn't I make myself clear?" She joyously and theatrically stated, "I'm just seeing how things play out between our little 'Love birds' there. That's all."

"Love birds?" Bienfu exclaimed with bugged out eyes. "Are you serious?"

Magilou grinned. "That's right."

Bienfu asked in disbelief, "What the heck could possibly make you think they could be 'Love Birds' Miss Magilou."

"Oh." Magilou put her right pointer finger on her chin as she slyly replied, "Just careful observation and a teeny tiny bit of speculation."

That failed to ward off Bienfu's feelings of disbelief as he asked in a deadpan tone, "What exactly have you observed this Miss Magilou? Because I haven't seen anything that would make me think they'd get together."

"Oh my dear, dear Bienfu. You weren't always the best at picking up on the subtleties." Magilou playfully asked, "Haven't you noticed how much closer those two have gotten recently?"

"Um …" Bienfu attempted to mind storm an answer and he did his best to come up with one before his head hurt. "Well …Velvet doesn't seem to pick on or be as mean to Madam Eleanor like she used to."

"Come on." Magilou remarked, "That's only scratching the surface. Think harder."

"Um …" Bienfu was coming up with a blank.

"Fine then." Magilou conceded, "What you said before was a step in the right direction, but you seriously you need to work on that."

"Then … um …" Bienfu hesitated to asked, "What have you seen Miss Magilou?"

"Much more than that." Magilou answered as she continued to observe Velvet and Eleanor from the distance, "However, for a lack of a better word, I've noticed our little Velvet has become far more 'comfortable' with Eleanor than anyone else in our little ragtag group as of late besides out little Laphicet."

"Well I guess …" A thought finally came across Bienfu's mind as he mentioned, "She did let Madam Eleanor carry Laphicet for some reason."

Magilou snapped her fingers and pointed her finger to the sky as she exclaimed "Precisely! Before all that business with **Innominant** happened, she wouldn't want Eleanor to be near Laphicet if she didn't have to or couldn't stop Laphicet from doing so. However, Eleanor was the first person Velvet turned to after that 'fateful' day. And things have only continued to build up since then."

Bienfu then hesitantly pointed out, "Still though … that doesn't mean they could become 'Love Birds'."

"Oh." Magilou confidentially stated, "On the contrary, it might be the stepping stones they need."

Bienfu remarked, "I'm kinda surprised you're this interested in this Miss Magilou. You didn't strike me as the romantic type."

"Oh Bienfu. Bienfu." Bienfu could feel himself becoming stiff and tense as Magilou spoke while shaking her head. A shiver crawled down his spine as Magilou asked, "Have you forgotten who your Mistress is?"

"N … NO! Of course not Miss Magilou. Heh …" Bienfu nervously chuckled. "It's you of course."

Magilou grinned as she stated, "Good, but I'll remind you anyway, so you won't forget. I'm a witch who loves to keep herself entertained. Watching some drama unfold is way more exciting. Let's see where it goes." Magilou then decided to move from her position.

"Bien …" Bienfu sighed in relief.

"Are you coming?" Magilou called out to him.

"Oh um … Right behind you!" Bienfu quickly followed behind.

/

As Eleanor was finishing putting sunscreen on Velvet's shoulders, Eleanor couldn't help but muse, "Who would've thought we'd ever do something like this huh? I never would've thought I'd be putting sunscreen on a Deamon."

That comment caused Velvet's eyes to open while she remained lying on the blanket. As Eleanor rubbed Velvet's shoulders, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, "Hmm?"

"What is it?" Velvet asked while lying on the ground.

"Nothing really, but …" Eleanor continued to rub Velvet's shoulders as she commented, "You really do seem tense Velvet."

"…" Velvet didn't reply right away. "Aren't I always?"

"Kinda," Eleanor tilted her head as she continued massaging Velvet, "but you have eased up a bit recently."

"Hmph." Velvet didn't have much to say in response.

"…" Eleanor bit her lip before continuing, "Anyway, we should try enjoying ourselves."

"Heh." Velvet chuckled as she sarcastically commented, "No matter how much I think about it, it's still strange to me. Who would've thought an exorcist of all people would be trying to convince the 'Lord of Calamity' to take it easy?"

"Yeah." Eleanor nodded her head as she continued to massage the 'Lord of Calamity', "We live in a strange world. Wouldn't you say?"

"Hmph." Velvet smirked and closed her eyes. "Can't argue with that."

"For now, let's try to forget about you being the 'Lord of Calamity' for a few days." Eleanor reminded Velvet, "This is supposed to be a vacation. Even the 'Lord of Calamity' needs a vacation right?"

Velvet shrugged her shoulders. "I guess."

"Come on Velvet." Eleanor said in annoyance as she moved her hands away from Velvet's back. She commented, "You're just getting tenser. You really need to ease up."

"…" Velvet kept looking away from Eleanor as she laid on the ground as she bit her lip.

"If you want me to, I could give you one of my favorite massages." Eleanor offered.

Velvet sat up as she remarked in a deadpan tone, "You mean like the same one you gave Bienfu the other day? No thanks."

"Seriously?" Eleanor rubbed her forehead as she exasperatedly stated, "I only did that to punish him for his behavior. I'm not going to massage you with the butt of my spear."

"I'd hope not." Velvet stated as she looked away from Eleanor.

"…" Eleanor wasn't sure what to say next as she asked, "Are you okay Velvet?"

"I'm fine." Velvet looked at Eleanor as she asked, "Why do you ask?"

"It's just …" Eleanor hesitated to asked, "Am I causing you any trouble?"

"!" Velvet was taken aback by the unexpected question as she answered, "Of course not. You're not causing me any trouble."

"Really?" Eleanor skeptically asked.

"Look. I've done a lot of bad things, but I've been pretty honest." Velvet bluntly stated, "If I had a problem with you, I'd tell you like I did before."

"That's true. Heh. Heh." Eleanor had her eyes closed as she chuckled and absentmindedly remarked, "I still remember how blunt you were after Aball."

"…" Velvet averted her eyes after hearing that. She could feel herself getting tense once again, and her fingers involuntarily shook.

"?" Eleanor noticed something was off with Velvet as she asked, "Are you sure everything is okay Velvet?"

"There is …" Velvet looked away, "There's something I need to talk to you about."

"What is it?" Eleanor asked.

Velvet sat across from Eleanor as she tried to speak, "Eleanor … I … I …" Velvet could feel the words being caught in her throat.

Eleanor tilted her head and softly asked, "What is it Velvet?"

"I just wanted to say …" Velvet bit her lip as she trailed off.

"Come on Velvet. This isn't like it. Just come out and say it." Eleanor tried to encourage Velvet, "What is it?"

"…" Velvet stopped biting lip as she said, "Thank you …"

"Huh?" Eleanor's eyes widened as much as they could at what she thought she heard. "Um …" Eleanor took a moment to process what she thought she heard before she asked, "Did you just …?"

"Thank you?" Velvet bluntly stated, "Yes I did. Is it that unusual or do you think I'm that ungrateful?" Her previous hesitation was completely absent.

"No! Of course not!" Eleanor shook her head. "You've thanked Laphicet, and I guess you did sort of say that to me before. I'm just surprised you just said that to me …" Eleanor suddenly realized her wording.

"…" Velvet bit her lip as Eleanor scrambled to find better wording.

"I mean I …" Eleanor decided to clear her throat before making another attempt. "Um … I mean I'm happy you said that, but I feel like it kinda came out of nowhere."

"It didn't." Velvet stated. "It was long overdue. Besides, there is something else I'd like to talk to you about."

Eleanor titled her head as she asked, "What is it?"

"Hey!" Before Velvet could say a word, they could hear the young boy Malakim happily shout at them from the beach, "Velvet! Eleanor! Come on!"

Velvet smiled as she looked at Laphicet playing in the water. Laphicet was up to his waist in the water with Rokurou waving towards the two women. Velvet raised up her hand and shouted back, "Be right there!" Velvet then looked towards Eleanor, and she told her, "Not right now. Let's talk about it later." Velvet specifically clarified, "This is just between us. No one else. Just us. For now, let's just enjoy the time we have."

"Okay." Eleanor nodded, "Sounds good to me."

Velvet put her jacket back on and retied the knot as she called out, "I'm coming Phi!"

As Velvet ran towards the water, Eleanor couldn't help but smile at the sight of Velvet looking so happy. Eleanor placed her hand on her chest. She could feel it beating a little faster than usual. She thought, _"What was Velvet thanking me for specifically? What else did she want to talk to me about?"_

"Hey Eleanor!" Eleanor snapped out to see Velvet was up to her waist in the water as she waved to her. "Are you coming?"

"Be right there!" Eleanor grabbed her blue and white dress and put it back on as she ran towards the water. _"I guess I'll just have to find out later."_

/

After playing in the water for over an hour, they decided to finally get out. Even though Rokurou was a Daemon, he decided to test out whether or not he could work on his tan. Meanwhile, Velvet, Eleanor, and Laphicet stood towards the forest area near the beach when Velvet decided to ask, "Is there anything else you'd like to do Phi?"

Laphicet eagerly replied, "I want to explore the island some more."

Eleanor happily said, "Sounds like fun. I always loved to go exploring."

Velvet was a little hesitant as she remarked, "Okay … I guess we can do that."

Elenaor reminded Velvet, "You remember what Benwik and Eizen said right? We shouldn't have any problems with the Abbey or other Daemons here."

Velvet defensively replied, "I said it was okay. This is a new place after all …" Velvet glanced to the side as she remarked, "Exploring the island sounds like it could be … fun …"

"…" Eleanor was silent for a moment before happily clapping her hands and stating, "Okay then. Let's have some fun"

"All right!" Laphicet ran ahead of the two girls and left them behind as he said, "I can't wait to check out this place!"

"Hmph." Velvet smiled as she looked at Laphicet's retreating figure. She put her hand on her waist, shook her head, and remarked, "Kids really love exploring don't they?"

"I'm sure you did when you were his age right?" Eleanor rhetorically asked.

"… Yeah. I did." Velvet briefly averted her eyes before looking in Eleanor's direction as she hesitantly answered, "I used to drag Laphi out of the house all the time to check out the cliff. We really liked checking those ruins too and guessing how deep that pit was."

"Oh …" Eleanor's slightly widened upon hearing that. She glanced down and put a hand on her chest as she softly spoke, "I … I see …"

"What about y …" Velvet stopped in her tracks and corrected herself, "Oh right. You just said you liked exploring when you were younger. You also traveled to different places before we met." Velvet grinned as she speculated, "I bet your love of exploring was a big reason you took that job from the Abbey."

"That would be …" Eleanor put her hands behind her back as she sheepishly admitted, "… a bet you'd win."

"Hmph." Velvet smirked. "Thought so." Velvet looked to see Laphicet was getting deeper into the forest then she looked back at Eleanor and said, "Let's go. We shouldn't let Phi get too far ahead. I don't care if Rokurou and I are the only Daemons here."

Eleanor nodded, "You're right." Velvet took the lead with Eleanor in tow.

Laphicet rounded a corner before excitedly calling out to them, "Velvet! Eleanor! Look at this!"

Both Velvet and Eleanor ran to see what Laphicet was excited about. When they turned the corner, they could see there was a clearing, and it was filled with flowers. Flowers that were bright red in the middle and white along the edges. They could see Laphicet kneeling down checking them out.

"So pretty …" Eleanor marveled at the sight before her.

"…" Velvet bit her lip slightly before shrugging, "This island is supposed to be some kind of paradise, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprise to see something like this."

"Must you …" Eleanor began to say before trailing off and shaking her head. "Never mind." Eleanor walked over to and kneeled next to Laphicet before asking, "So Laphicet you must really think these flowers are beautiful right?"

Laphicet happily replied, "Yeah. They really are beautiful. They're so … I'm not sure what else to say."

Eleanor nodded, "Yes. I get what you mean."

Laphicet looked across the clearing and said, "I think Velvet likes them too."

"Hmm?" Eleanor looked over her shoulder to see Velvet bending down and holding one of the flowers by the stem. She lifted her hand slightly, and it looked if she was about to pick it. Before she did, her fingers let go of the stem, and the flower returned to position. Velvet looked at the flowers for a few more moments before standing up and walking away from them. Laphicet and Eleanor could see Velvet with a peaceful smile on her face.

Upon observing this, Eleanor said to Laphicet, "I guess you're right. Times like these … it really shows she is a girl."

"You know what I think?" Laphicet answered before Eleanor could reply, "I think that flower goes well with Velvet."

Eleanor raised an eyebrow. "You think so?"

"Yes." Laphicet motioned to the flower in front of him and told Eleanor, "You see how red it is but white on the edges?"

When Eleanor took a closer look, something spoke to her. She wasn't quite sure how to put it, but something about this flower seemed right to Eleanor. It was a beautiful red and white flower that made her keep thinking of Velvet the more she looked at it. It was almost hypnotic.

"Hmm, Hmph." Eleanor nodded her head in acknowledgement.

"I think it fits Velvet perfectly." Laphicet replied.

"Why do you think that?" Eleanor inquired.

Laphicet happily replied, "Because doesn't red make you think of fire?"

"I …" Eleanor hesitantly replied, "I guess so."

Laphicet stated, "Well I think it suits Velvet perfectly. Fire is pretty and strong just like her."

"Hmm …" Eleanor nodded, "I guess I can't argue with that. Fire for power. For passion. For hope." Eleanor's voice sounded more dreamy as she continued to speak until she finished the list with, "For beauty."

"Beauty?" Laphicet asked in a confused tone.

"Um …" Eleanor nervously attempted to backpedal as she explained, "I mean. Fire can be destructive and powerful, but it can be really beautiful too. I mean take a look at Velvet. She's remained strong and kept pressing forward. There's a 'beauty' in that don't you think?"

"I guess you're right about that." Laphicet stated.

"But hmm …" Eleanor continued to observe the flower as she asked, "… what about the white part?"

"Because well … umm …" Laphicet took a moment to think, "There's more to her than fire … Maybe? What do you think?"

"…" Eleanor looked over her shoulder to observe Velvet who appeared to still be admiring the flowers. Eleanor smiled as she remarked, "I don't think I can argue with that either." Eleanor took a closer look at the flower. "Hmm?" Eleanor thought out loud, "Maybe … calm, peace, or light … Maybe all three?"

"You think that's what the white part would mean?" Laphicet inquired.

"I don't know." Eleanor remarked, "Colors can mean a lot of things. I guess it really depends on how you look at it."

"That's true. Things sometimes can have a lot of meanings." Laphicet stated, "I've learned that for myself thanks to Velvet, you, and everyone else."

"Hmm." Eleanor smiled as she nodded. "I think Velvet might like to have a flower like this."

"Maybe you should give this to her." Laphicet suggested.

"Me?" Eleanor asked in surprise.

"Yeah." Laphicet nodded. "I think you're right. It would look great on her. Plus it'd go really well with her jacket don't you think?"

"Hmm …" Eleanor thought for a few moments as a blush started to form on her face before she shrugged and remarked, "I guess it's worth a shot." She carefully plucked the flower before asking, "You sure you don't want to give it to her?"

"I'm sure." Laphicet smiled. "I think she'd be happy if you gave it to her."

"…" Eleanor smiled as she stated, "Okay then." Eleanor walked over to Velvet with the flower in hand as she called out to her, "Hey Velvet."

Velvet looked up to Eleanor from her kneeling position as she answered, "Yes?"

"I …" Eleanor held up the flower as she tried to think of the right words to use. "Laphicet and I found this flower that we think would be great for you. What do you think?"

"Um …" Velvet remained kneeling blinked for a moment before answering, "You picked a flower for me?"

"Eh …" Eleanor lowered her hand she acknowledged, "Yeah … I guess getting a flower from another girl is a little weird. Heh … Heh …" Eleanor uneasily chuckled, "Sorry I didn't think this through." Eleanor turned to move away before her arm was grabbed.

"No!" Velvet grabbed Eleanor's wrist on reflex.

"Huh?" Eleanor was completely caught off guard by this.

"Um …" A light blush formed on Velvet's face as she let go of Eleanor's wrist and stood up. "I … I didn't mean it like that. Thank you. It's a nice flower."

" _Another thank you?"_ Eleanor smiled as she replied, "I'm glad you like it." An idea suddenly came to Eleanor, "You know. I think I know the right place for it. Mind holding still?"

"… Okay." Velvet softly said as she stood still.

"This will be quick." Eleanor stood to Velvet's right side. She placed the flower in Velvet's hair as she used the stem to help keep it attached. After releasing the flower, she could see the flower was in place. "Hmm …" Eleanor looked at her handiwork before saying, "I think it'd look better if there was another one. Give me a second." Eleanor quickly kneeled down to carefully pluck another flower.

"…" Velvet remained silent and didn't move as she watched Eleanor gently pluck another flower. She let Eleanor place another flower in her hair. The Daemon let the Exorcist do what she wanted.

"There we go." Eleanor stepped back as she proudly said, "I think it looks great."

"You think so?" Velvet couldn't see Eleanor's handiwork, but something told her it looked good.

"I think it looks great on you too." Laphicet happily said with a smile.

"If you say so." Velvet replied as she put her left hand on her hip.

"I know so." Laphicet proudly replied. "Anyway, let's get back to exploring. I want to see if there's anywhere good to fish."

Eleanor happily agreed. "Sounds good to me. Let's go."

As the two walked away from the flower field, Velvet brought her right to the side of her head and touched the flowers. She could feel how soft they were. Eleanor did a fine job placing them there. She would leave it alone.

Velvet smiled as she said out loud to herself, "Thank you. Both of you. For everything." Velvet moved to catch up to them. They had more of this island to explore. There was more to do and more to talk about before their vacation could come to an end.

/

 **Omake** : 

Velvet: "Well this chapter certainly was a long time coming wasn't it?"

Eleanor: "It can't be helped. There were factors, such as the author wanting to take a 'partial' break, play Persona 5, dealing with other stories, and having to deal with the real world. It adds up."

Velvet: "Maybe the author shouldn't try splitting focus on so many stories at once."

Eleanor: "Well that might be a good point, but if the author has a lot of imagination that goes in a lot of different directions who are we to judge right?"

Velvet: "That … is also a good point."

Eleanor: "Anyway, I do like how things proceeded with this chapter. I feel like we're getting on a good track. A good amount of stuff was used but not too much."

Velvet: "I know. There was a lot of other stuff in this chapter that would've felt like the author was going to put in way too much stuff too soon. Would've been a bloated disaster."

Eleanor: "I wouldn't go that far, but yes it would've been too much too soon. Better to spread things out to make it more natural or as natural as it can be."

Velvet: "So how long do you think the time between this chapter and the next chapter will be spread out? Another six months?"

Eleanor: "I hope not. Hopefully, the author will try getting the next chapter ready for January 2018?"

Velvet: "Why that?" 

Eleanor: "It'll be the anniversary for the Western release of our game of course."

Velvet: "Oh yeah … That's right. Has it really been almost a year since our game was release in the West?"

Eleanor: "It has. Hard to believe, but it has. Feels like only yesterday the author finished playing the game."

Velvet: "Yeah it does."

Eleanor: "Anyway, readers please provide a review and feedback for this chapter. The author appreciates your comments. Please support this story." (Looks to Velvet) "Velvet say it with me."

Velvet: (sighes) "Fine."

Eleanor & Velvet: "Have a Merry Christmas 2017 and have a Happy New Year 2018. See you next time!"

Eleanor: "See it wasn't that hard was it?"

Velvet: (lightly blushing) "No … I guess it wasn't …"

Eleanor: (chuckles) "This will be great."

/

 **Author Notes** : I am pleased that I was able to publish another chapter of this story before 2017 came to a close. I felt like I was racing the clock to complete this chapter, and I'm happy I was able to succeed. Completing chapters is always a rewarding experience for me.

As the omake indicates, I will do my best to keep the gap between Chapters Two and Three to only a month or so. Hopefully, we will see the next chapter be released to celebrate the one year anniversary of Tales of Berseria's Western release on the PS4 and Steam. I also hope the audience for this game will continue to expand thanks to possible sales Bandai Namco might have along with more word of mouth.

Needless to say, I feel that Tales of Berseria was an awesome game. Easily one of the best I played in recent memory, especially since I kept going back and playing it for several hours straight every day until I finished the main story and the post-game dungeon. As much as I love playing video games, not every game made me feel like that. Here's hoping an anime adaptation for this game is produced one day like there has been for others.

During an early scene of this chapter, I did primarily utilize the dialogue from the original skit while adding some dialogue changes and narration to expand on it. I like that I was then able to continue where that skit ended. It feels like there should have been a follow-up scene to that among other things. As I mentioned before, I'm disappointed they didn't have a beach scenario in the game to go along with the DLC Beach skit. Creating this story feels like I'm filling up one of the missing pieces to this already great game.

When I was in the planning stages of this chapter and writing a number of potential scenes for the chapter, I realized a few of them might be better off left for a later chapters. Developing the relationship between Velvet and Eleanor throughout this story would be optimal. I look forward to expanding on their relationship in this story.

For those of you disappointed that Laphicet merely had a cameo appearance in the previous chapter, I'm sure you'll be happy he was front and center at certain points of this chapter. You can expect him to appear in the subsequent chapters. That was always my intention for this story since the relationships between Velvet, Laphicet, and Eleanor were among the best parts of the game due to the development they all received. While this mostly takes place after a majority of that development transpired, I look forward to adding more of my own.

As usual, I would greatly appreciate it if you would provide feedback for this chapter. I wish you a Merry Christmas 2017, Happy Hanukkah 2017, and Happy New Year 2018. See you next time. Hopefully, it won't be six months.


	3. Ups and Downs

**Author Notes** : I can't believe it has been over a year since "Tales of Berseria" was released in the West. I remember when I started playing the game immediately upon its release. It was easily the best game I had played in recent years with how much I wanted to play it every day I could. Getting back home after a long day was immediately made fun because I knew I'd be able to play this game. It was a real shame when it came to an end.

Due to how much I played the game, it wasn't surprising to know that this was my second most played game in 2017 followed only by "Persona 5" which was an awesome game as well. I've been doing my best to recommend fellow gamers to play "Tales of Berseria", and everyone who has played the game have become fans along with becoming Veleanor fans as well. That made me doubly happy.

In addition to "Sorrowful Peace" Chapter Three, I produced the third chapter of this story to celebrate the first anniversary for Tales of Berseria's Western release. Based on how things turned out the last time I released both updates on the same day, I decided giving them a little more space would be for the better. I was disappointed by the lack of reviews, but I'm glad a few reviews came up overtime. I'm hoping it will be better this time around.

For the readers who have provided reviews for my work, I'm grateful for that. I'm glad that all of you have enjoyed the character interactions with the various characters. When I write this story, I do my best to channel the characters to keep them in line with their canon counterparts while possibly being somewhat flexible for character development they might get in this, specifically with Velvet and Eleanor. The fact that both of the characters received significant character development in the canon video game certainly helped. In addition to having that flexibility, I enjoy going into territory that I wish was expanded upon in canon. Fanfiction truly is a great method of accomplishing such things.

I hope you all enjoy reading this chapter and leave a review. It would be greatly appreciated. Happy reading.

/

Spoken and Unspoken Words

Chapter Three: Ups and Downs

/

Ups and Downs are life

Nothing can go that smoothly

Life is not like that

/

It had only been a few hours since the crew of the Van Eltia had arrived at their vacation destination, but some members of the crew were already living it up. If anyone else had seen them, they wouldn't believe they were pirates. Nor would they believe the crew suffered a major loss recently. Instead, they would be seeing a bunch of people having the time of their lives.

Rokurou had fun trying to get a stag beetle fight a hermit crab. He managed to get a crowd around him who were getting in on the action. They managed to find some other participants for their contest of strength as well.

Eizen was busy attempting to stay afloat in the water. Even with his Penygon floaties, he was barely able to stay above the water. Benwick remained on the side watching the first mate in his struggles. He had a whistle on him just in case.

Magilou was enjoying her 'Summer of Freedom' by occasionally spying on the trio of Island explorers while wearing her less than appropriate swimsuit. Anyone of the crew members who saw her in that outfit were immediately put into a state of unease. It was certainly not the best sight on this island.

The remaining members of the Van Eltia crew had set up a large camp by ship. They put up tents, so they could sleep on the beach rather than the ship. As comfortable as they made their ship on the open seas, nothing could beat sleeping on solid land. When Benwick was done playing lifeguard, he also made sure to get things ready for their first big cookout for their vacation. They would make it a time to remember for the upcoming final battle. A calm before the storm.

The last three unaccounted members of the group, Velvet, Eleanor, and Laphicet were exploring the island. The sun was beginning to wane as they emerged from the forest area. Upon leaving the forest, they saw a rocky cliff area. The three of them walked towards the edge to see the cliff was not too far from the water. The waves were calm, and there were boulders that could make great seats. It was an ideal fishing spot.

"Hey! Velvet! Eleanor!" Laphicet excitedly said, "I think this'll be a great spot to fish! Can we fish here!? Can we?!"

"Hmph." Velvet grinned as she placed her hand on her waist and remarked, "You really want to try fishing again that much?"

"You bet I do!" Laphicet happily said, "Last time was a lot of fun. I would love to fish again."

Velvet continued to smile as she said, "That's fine with me, but we'll do it tomorrow. We should be heading back to the Van Eltia."

"Aww …" Laphicet lowered his head in disappointment.

"Don't be like that Phi." Velvet stated in a stern tone, "We had fun today, but there's no point in rushing to do everything at once. If you try doing everything in one day, you'll feel disappointed in the end. Best to spread it out. We have some time to do that." Laphicet's face lived up as Velvet then stated, "You'll have plenty of time to fish tomorrow. Trust me. It'll be more fun this way."

Eleanor nodded her head in agreement, "That's a good point."

"Okay, okay. I got it." Laphicet impatiently asked, "You promise we'll come back in the morning?"

"Of course." Velvet answered with a smile. "First thing."

"Yay!" Laphicet excited replied.

Velvet then said, "Now with that settled, let's head back."

"All right." Laphicet grinned as he ran off and said, "Last one there is a rotten egg!"

"…" Both Velvet and Eleanor looked at Laphicet's retreating figure with a smile.

"Heh. Heh. He changed his tune quickly." Velvet lightly chuckled as she shook her head and happily remarked, "He really is a little kid."

"Yeah." Eleanor softly agreed, "He really is."

"…" Velvet glanced over to Eleanor and then looked back to Laphicet's retreating figure.

Eleanor noticed Velvet's glance which caused her to ask, "Is something wrong Velvet?"

"No." Velvet asked while still looking at Laphicet, "Are you still up for tonight?"

"What?" Eleanor was taken aback by the sudden question. "What do you mean?"

"Sparing. Remember?" Velvet stated with a raised eyebrow, "We talked about on the boat before. Are you up for a rematch or not."

"Oh right! Heh … Heh …" Eleanor chuckled as she sheepishly had both her hands behind her back and looked away. "I forgot about that."

"Hmph." Velvet grinned as she inquired, "Had a little too much fun today?"

"Heh. Heh." Eleanor chuckled as she looked to Velvet. "Kinda."

Velvet repeated herself, "Are you up for our little duel or not?" Velvet began to look somewhat disappointed as she then said, "If you aren't, that's fine. There's always another time. We could-"

"No! No!" Eleanor waved her hands as she told Velvet, "I'm up for it!" Eleanor held out her hand and clenched her fingers as she declared, "I would love to spare with you Velvet. I've been wanting to have a rematch with you for a while. I've really been looking forward to it."

There was a sense of relief in Velvet's voice as she said, "I see. Glad to hear it." Velvet grinned as she pointed towards something as she said, "I think I found the perfect stage for it."

"Hmm?" Eleanor turned to where Velvet was pointing which caused her eyes to widen. "Huh?" Eleanor saw behind her a plateau in the middle of the island not far from where they were.

Velvet continued to grin as she remarked, "I'd say that would be the perfect spot for a fight." Velvet cheekily asked, "Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah." Eleanor looked around and excitedly said, "It looks like the perfect place for our little rematch. It'd just be **us**."

"Good to know you are on board." Velvet raised and held up her fist in front of Eleanor as she said, "Then let's have a good match."

"Count on it." Eleanor bumped her fist with Velvet's.

"Hey! Eleanor! Velvet!" The two heard Laphicet calling them from the entrance to the forest area. "What're you doing? Hurry up!"

"We really shouldn't keep him waiting." Velvet then ran before Eleanor had a chance to react. "Gotta get moving!"

"Hey!" Eleanor then rushed behind Velvet, "Wait up!" 

"Sorry Eleanor, but I can't be the rotten egg here." Velvet jokingly replied as she left Eleanor behind.

"Oh good grief!" The Exorcist said in a huff as she continued to lag behind the Lord of the Calamity.

/

When the trio returned to the ship, Laphicet arrived first with Velvet in second place and Eleanor in third. Both of them were happy to point out she had indeed become the rotten egg much to her chagrin. However, after taking a moment, Eleanor didn't mind it and laughed it off. That moment was forgotten as the scene before her was beginning to take shape.

Benwick and some of the others were cooking dinner. They had set up a cooking area, so to cook on the beach. While it was a makeshift kitchen, it was able to get the job done. Velvet immediately offered to help. She was far more enthusiastic about cooking again, and she personally cooked a few of the dishes with Laphicet acting as her taste tester.

Eleanor approached the outdoor kitchen, but it was overcrowded as it was. Attempting to force her way in would've caused more trouble than good. She was better off standing on the sidelines while Velvet took care of things. She was able to enjoy watching Velvet cook and even smile.

After some time passed, Velvet motioned for Eleanor to come over. When Eleanor approached them, Velvet gave Eleanor her dish. She told Eleanor to go ahead and eat it. Not only did the food look good on her plate, but the smells penetrated her nostrils and many pleasant sensations triggered in her brain. Not even that could prepare her for how mouthwatering the meal was upon the first bite.

"Mmm!" As Eleanor took a bite, she complimented the chef, "This is really good Velvet!"

Velvet smiled in response before they then heard Benwick call Velvet, "Excuse me! Can you help us out with this?" One of the chefs were starting to cause their food to be a little overcooked as seen from the smoke rising from the barbecue.

"I'm coming!" Velvet then looked to Eleanor and softly told her, "Enjoy." She then turned around to help Benwick with their cooking fiasco.

Eleanor felt the need to sit down somewhere. Luckily for her there was a large protruding rock in the sand that Eleanor decided to make use of as a seat. While Eleanor began taking a few more bites of the mouthwatering meal, she looked to see the various crew members on the beach.

Rokurou and Eizen were sitting across from each other on the sand with some of the other crew members crowded around them. Eleanor could see they were having the stag beetle and hermit crab brawl that Rokurou was hoping to have. They were all excited as they were rooting for their respective sides.

Magilou was lounging about waiting for her dinner to come. Some of the crew members appeared to be actively avoiding getting anywhere near her. While Magilou's behavior in general caused people to be wary of her, her rather inappropriate swimsuit certainly didn't do her any favors. When someone did bring her food, they didn't give it to her directly and simply placed it near her, but she didn't mind. She seemed to enjoy their reactions based on her 'cat grin.'

Seeing these scenes unfold in front of her gave Eleanor a sense of ease. Everyone appeared to be happy. They were happy. Even after the assault the Abbey conducted against them at Titainia and Captain Aifread's death due to the Abbey's actions, they were still pressing forward. They were happy, and they could have a peaceful moment.

When Eleanor looked at Velvet cooking with the other members of Aifread's crew, she could see Velvet smiling. When she first met Velvet, those smiles were non-existent. Even when they had moments that involved Velvet making her feel better for some reason, Velvet's face remained frozen in place, but there wasn't as much coldness as there was before. Laphicet was one of the few who could make Velvet smile, and those smiles were few and far between.

Eleanor still remembered how surprised she was when Velvet smiled so much in the dream Aball. She didn't think it was possible for Velvet to smile that much, but she did. After recent events and thanks to Laphicet, Velvet was now smiling more regularly. The true self that she used to be three years ago had become part of her again. It was no longer buried. It made everyone happier to see that.

When Eleanor thought about those times, she couldn't help but also remember how they were enemies. How she attempted to kill Velvet multiple times and ultimately failed. She could remember what she said to Velvet afterwards and how she refused to believe anything Velvet told her. Eleanor could clearly recall how she still had trouble accepting it despite the mounting evidence against the Abbey. While she was thinking that, she must've been staring into space because Velvet was approaching her unnoticed.

"Is something wrong?" Velvet asked in concern.

Eleanor could feel her ears perk up as she snapped to attention. Her posture straightened. She saw Velvet standing in front of her while holding a plate of food of her own. "Yes?"

"Did I do something wrong with your food?" Velvet asked as she motioned to the plate of food Eleanor was still holding. "You've only had a few bites."

"Oh!" Eleanor's eyes were wide open as she said, "No! There's nothing wrong with my food! I was just thinking about things."

"Is that so?" Velvet asked.

"Yes." Eleanor nodded, "I was thinking about how happy everyone seems to be."

Velvet looked behind her to see what Eleanor had seen. She saw that Laphicet joined Rokurou and Eizen in cheering on either the stag beetle or hermit crab side as she remarked, "Yeah. They do look happy."

"I wish Kamoana was here." Eleanor absentmindedly replied.

"She's safe where she is." Velvet remarked as she took a seat in the sand and placed her plate of food in front of her, "Dyle and Medissa are taking good care of her."

Eleanor sighed, "Yeah. I know."

"Hmph." Velvet remarked, "You know … With the three of them and the dogs, they seem to make a family."

"A family?" Eleanor asked.

"Yes." Velvet stated, "Medissa and Dyle seem to be doing their best to act as Kamoana's new parents, and they seem to get along really well. The dogs seem to like them a lot too."

"…" Eleanor took a moment before agreeing, "You're right. They really do seem like a family. We should do what we can for them."

"Yes …" Velvet softly said as she looked up to the sky, "They've all been through a lot, and we're not far from the end."

Eleanor looked up to the sky as well as she commented, "Yeah … I can't believe we're not far from the end as well. It's really hard to believe how far we've come."

"It really is." Velvet admitted, "Despite how much I wanted to do, I knew it wouldn't be easy to win. Now we know we can."

Eleanor looked at Velvet as she said, "None of this would've been possible without you Velvet."

"Not without Seres either." Velvet stated as she looked at her bandaged arm. "If she hadn't freed me, I wouldn't have been able to do any of this." Velvet curled her bandaged fingers as she then remarked, "And I had to eat her. I still remember that as if it was yesterday."

"…" Eleanor remorsefully said, "I'm sorry Velvet …"

"Don't be." Velvet told Eleanor, "Just eat. Your food is getting cold."

"Right." Eleanor began eating as Velvet remained sitting staring at her food. In-between bites, Eleanor asked, "Aren't you going to eat anything?"

"I want to, but …" Velvet put her bandaged hand on her lips as she said, "I can't taste anything besides blood. Remember?"

"…" Eleanor swallowed as she mentioned, "… Right … I keep forgetting about that …"

"It really makes it hard to eat." Velvet said as she looked at her plate of food. "I know this food is supposed to taste good. Seeing and smelling it is enough to convince me. Seeing you and Phi enjoy it proves it to. But …" Velvet picked up a piece of meat with her fork and held it up. "… When I try to eat it, there's … nothing … No bitterness. No sweetness. Just nothing …" Velvet sighed as she placed the fork and meat back on the plate. "It's disappointing every time."

"I can't even begin to picture what that must be like for you Velvet." Eleanor attempted to emphasize, "As someone who also likes to cook, I understand how great it is to taste something you cooked yourself."

"…" Velvet didn't say a word as she looked down.

"Is there really nothing we can do? Can Laphicet help?" Eleanor suggested.

"No." Velvet shook her head. "Don't forget." Velvet held out her bandaged hand, "I still need this power. We can't win against Artorius and Innominat without it."

"Hmm … You're right." Eleanor admitted, "That power really has helped turn a lot of situations around. We wouldn't have been able to wake up the Empyreans or free the other Therions without it."

"…" Velvet momentarily remained silent as she listened to Eleanor's words.

"I just wish we didn't need it." Eleanor said, "Then maybe something could be done."

Velvet broke her silence as she said, "Hopefully no one will need it after everything is over."

"…" Eleanor looked at Velvet's bandage before then saying, "Regardless, you really should eat Velvet. It might not give you the taste you want, but it is still good for your body. You won't be able to fight with that power of yours if your body becomes too hungry to fight."

"Can't argue with that logic." Velvet then took a bite out of her food before looking disappointed again, "…" She was expecting it to happen, but she still hated it every time it did. Something she could never get used to it.

"…" Eleanor could see Velvet's disappointment. She wasn't even trying to conceal it. The only thing Eleanor could say to Velvet was, "The food's good Velvet. I know you can't taste it, but I can assure you it is good. Very **good**."

"Thank you Eleanor …" Velvet said as she took another bite.

"I promise I'll do what I can to help you regain your sense of taste Velvet." Eleanor pointed out, "We've seen a lot of crazy things on this journey of ours, so helping you regain your sense of taste should be nothing compared to that."

"Hmm …" Velvet closed her eyes and reopened them before telling Eleanor, "I do appreciate that Eleanor. I know you are serious about that, but you don't have to waste your time doing something like-"

"It won't be a waste of time!" Eleanor interrupted Velvet as she stood up.

"!" Velvet's eyes widened in surprise and her head jerked back.

"You're my friend Velvet." Eleanor insisted, "Friends help each other out. I'll be more than happy to help you. Even if it is just one thing that I can help you with, I'll help you get it back. I'll do everything I can."

"…" Velvet's mouth was left slightly agape. "I …" Velvet was nearly speechless as she attempted to think of the right thing to say, "I don't know what to say …"

"You don't have to say a thing." Eleanor held up the plate of what was left of her meal as she told Velvet, "I just look forward to the day that you can eat again Velvet. If there isn't a way to help you now, I'll do what I can to find it." She then sat down and took a bite of what was left.

Velvet lightly smiled as she looked at Eleanor. _"You really are a piece of work."_ Velvet softly said, "… Thank you Eleanor." She then proceeded to start eating her food again. Despite the lack of taste, she didn't feel as disappointed this time around.

"You're welcome." Eleanor said in response.

While they continued to eat, they could heard and see the various activities playing around them. Eventually, the two of them would go to check to see the appeal of having a stag beetle and a hermit crab having a brawl. It was actually more fun than they gave it credit for.

/

A few hours passed and the party began to dwindle. Several of the crew members were turning in for the night. Velvet was still awake. She was in her room putting back on her normal outfit, but the flower Eleanor had given her was still in her hair. She was adjusting her armlet that contained her hidden blade on her right wrist when she heard someone knocking.

Velvet kept adjusting her equipment as she casually said, "I'll be right there Eleanor."

"Sorry Velvet dear." Velvet heard the high pitched voice that belonged to none other than their resident witch Magilou. "It's me."

"Ugh …" Velvet groaned as she impatiently asked, "What is it?"

"Oh!" Magilou stood on the other side of door playfully clutching her heart. "Such a harsh attitude towards your dear friend."

"Whatever." Velvet then opened the door to see the witch was still clutching her heart. Velvet was grateful that Magilou was wearing her normal clothing again. Velvet once again impatiently asked, "What do you want?"

"Why do you always have to assume I want something Velvet dear?" Magilou replied with a grin.

"Your face and your behavior in general hasn't done you any favors." Velvet remarked in a deadpan tone.

"Oh. Touché." Magilou casually said with a shrug. "However, my intentions are 'pure' this time." This elicited an eye roll from Velvet, but Magilou paid it no mind as she continued to speak with gravitas, "I really did come here for a 'noble' reason." Magilou had her trademark smile as she said, "All I ever want was to help you in your time of need."

"Time of need? What?" Velvet asked in a dumbfounded tone as her head jerked back. "Wh- What're you talking about?"

"About your little late night session with our dear exorcist Eleanor." Magilou remarked.

"It's a sparring session!" Velvet immediately snapped back.

"Oh!" Magilou grinned as she repeated, "A sparring session eh?"

"Yes. A sparing session." Velvet remarked, "I'm pretty sure I don't need to explain what that is to you."

"Oh don't worry." Magilou grinned as she remarked, "I get the subtext."

"Subtext? What-?" Velvet shook her head and groaned, "Uggh …" Velvet raised her hands in the air in defeat as she stated, "Whatever. I'm not wasting my time with this." Velvet walked past Magilou until something Magilou said caught her attention.

"Just a word of advice. It is best not to leave things 'Unspoken'." Magilou's voice remained playful, but there was a sense of sincerity as she spoke.

Hearing those words caused Velvet to stop in her tracks. She remained facing away from Magilou as she asked, "What … What are you talking about?"

"Nothing in particular," Magilou quickly pointed out, "but I know you and you like to keep things to yourself."

Velvet looked over her shoulder and countered, "So what? You do too."

"Heh. Heh." Magilou giggled as she admitted, "Oh. Touché again." Magilou then looked Velvet in the eyes and told her, "However, my experiences have taught me much, and it could be a disservice not to pass on my wisdom onto others."

"Hmph." Velvet kept looking over her shoulder as she mockingly asked, "What exactly are you going to charge me for this 'wisdom'?"

Magilou shrugged and shook her head as she sarcastically asked, "Now how on Earth would you get an idea like that my little flower? I would never even think about charging the 'Lord of Calamity'." Magilou remained as playful as ever as she jokingly said, "That is unless she doesn't mind, and then I'd be more than happy to oblige."

"Hmph." Velvet turned around with her arms crossed as she remarked in a deadpan tone, "Your lord minds."

"Oh!" Magilou put her hand over her chest as she pretended to be shocked. "What a shock!"

Velvet was losing her patience as she asked one last time, "Are you going to keep playing these games or spill it?"

Magilou waved her hands in a sign of surrender. "Okay. Okay. I'll get to it."

"…" Velvet's arms remained crossed as she listened.

"Ahem." Magilou cleared her throat as she reiterated her original point, "It is best to leave no words unspoken because if they remain that way, you may regret it forever. I'm sure you of all people don't want that."

"…" Velvet lightly bit her lip before she hesitantly asked, "… What're you implying?"

"Implying? I thought I was making it clear to you outright." Magilou scratched her cheek as she coyly stated, "I guess I'll need to work on my execution."

"…" Velvet decided to turn around and leave without sparing another word. She continued to walk leaving behind a still smirking and satisfied Magilou.

/

When Velvet left the Van Eltia, she saw Eleanor dressed in her normal Exorcist uniform waiting for her. Eleanor looked up to see Velvet getting off the ship. At first Eleanor wasn't sure what she was seeing due to the dark. When Velvet was getting closer, Eleanor noticed that Velvet was still wearing the flower from earlier.

"…" Eleanor mouth was slightly agape upon seeing this.

"Something wrong?" Velvet asked when she walked towards Eleanor. "I didn't keep you waiting too long did I?"

"No." Eleanor shook her head and hands as she told Velvet, "I haven't been waiting too long, but did something hold you up?"

Velvet replied with one word, "Magilou."

"Oh." Eleanor nodded her head. "Did Magilou go out of her way to annoy you again?"

"Mmm …" Velvet took a moment to reply, "Not exactly …"

Eleanor replied, "That's surprising. She usually teeters on being 'barely tolerable'."

"She does. Constantly." Velvet put her hand through her hair as she admitted, "But as annoying as she can be, what she says can be sound …" Before Eleanor could speak, Velvet held up her right pointer finger as she quickly added, "… at times. Maybe even helpful."

"Well …" Eleanor reluctantly admitted, "she's definitely been around a lot longer than either of us. I'm pretty sure of that."

Velvet replied, "We can agree on that."

Eleanor asked, "Anyway, what'd she say that was helpful?"

"Hmm …" Velvet wasn't sure how to answer. Her brow began to furrow as she put her hand on her chin. The only thing she could say in response was, "It's kinda hard to say."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Eleanor offered in concern, "Did something she say bother you? You look troubled."

"I …" Velvet hesitantly replied, "… I'm honestly not sure."

Eleanor took a step back as she said, "If you feel that way, I'll just wait. You should probably take a little time to think things through."

"…" Velvet looked toward the sky as she remarked, "We're burning nighttime you know."

"Mmm?" Eleanor titled her head.

"We should get going if we're going to have a good sparing session." Velvet walked ahead as she said, "Let's go."

"…" Eleanor stood still for a moment as Velvet began to walk away. She then followed the Lord of Calamity to their destination.

/

It didn't take long for the duo to arrive at the plateau. It didn't take much effort for the two to climb to the top of it. However, Velvet was able to arrive at the top first. When she did, she turned around and offered Eleanor her hand. Eleanor accepted the gesture as Velvet pulled her up.

When Eleanor's feet were on the rocky surface of the Plateau, she immediately told Velvet, "Thanks."

"No problem." Velvet aloofly said as she looked at the top of the plateau.

The Exorcist and the Lord of Calamity could see for themselves that the plateau was composed of several protruding rocks along with the rough rocky surface. This made it the perfect place for them to carry out their little rematch.

Eleanor excitedly replied, "It's perfect."

"Hmm." Velvet nodded in agreement.

/

The stage had been set for the rematch between the ' **Exorcist** ' and ' **The Lord of Calamity** '. They stood on opposite sides silently staring down at each other. They were wearing their normal attire and their weapons were drawn.

As they stood, Velvet broke the silence as she remarked, "It has been a while since we last fought." Velvet retracted her wrist blade as she made a last minute adjustment to the gauntlet as she continued to speak, "I've got to admit. Until I made the offer, I never realized how much I was looking forward to this."

"Hmph." Eleanor smiled as she responded, "I feel the same way."

"All right." Velvet declared, "Let's do this!"

/

 **Omake**

Velvet: This is where the chapter ends? Are you serious?! We were just about to fight! The first actual fight scene in this whole story! We're ending it just when it gets started?

Eleanor: Afraid so.

Velvet: This totally sucks.

Eleanor: I know but it was the author's decision. Let's just leave it at that okay.

Velvet: Fine, but the author better not skip our fight scene.

Eleanor: I wouldn't worry about that. The author is actually pretty good at writing fight scenes if you've checked out the other stories. This isn't too different from how the author ended Chapter 18 and began Chapter 19 of "The Kirita Chronicles" between Delano and Kirita.

Velvet: Their fight scene turned out good?

Eleanor: The general reviewer opinion was positive. I'm sure the author will try to do the same with us.

Velvet: Let's hope so.

Eleanor: Just bear in mind, this story isn't really meant to focus on fighting so much. The fight scene probably won't be 'very' long.

Velvet: That's fine. Just as long as we get our fight scene.

Eleanor: Glad to know.

Velvet: Anyway, we should probably do the whole shameless promotion thing shouldn't we.

Eleanor: We really should. We kinda have to.

Velvet & Eleanor: Thank you for reading the newest chapter for "Spoken and Unspoken Words". Please leave a review. We'd greatly appreciate it.

Eleanor: See you next time.

Velvet: (shrugs) Whenever that is.

/

 **Author Notes** : I'm glad I was able to finish this chapter as fast as I was able to. Similar to "Sorrowful Peace", I didn't want the gap between Chapters Two and Three to be that large, especially due to the Tales of Berseria anniversary. It was also ironic that both stories that were the last I updated in 2017 were the first that I updated in 2018. Regardless, it was fun to produce these chapters.

As I mentioned before, I like channeling the canon counterparts of the characters when I write these stories, but I also like having flexibility as well. Basically how their character might develop in these stories based on these circumstances. In that respect, Velvet, Eleanor, and Laphicet are the best targets of that due to how they receive the most significant character development in the canon game. It makes any character development they experience in various fanfiction stories easier to believe.

In the canon video game, they did have Laphicet develop a significant connection with both Velvet and Eleanor due to Velvet giving Laphicet his name and Eleanor becoming his vessel. They both became his 'big sisters' so to speak. While they also had the relationship between Velvet and Eleanor develop significantly as well, I do wish they could've provided more screentime for this potential family dynamic. While we do see Velvet not be as envious of Eleanor and being fine with entrusting Laphicet to her, it would've been fun to have the three of them have significant moments together outside of those Earth Pulse situations and occasional skits. I hope to do a little more with that in this story.

Originally, I did consider having the entire fight scene in this chapter, but I thought it would be better to go with the route I've done in some of my other stories. I prefer ending the chapter with action about to happen and then starting the following chapter with that action taking place. I think both the fight scene and the scene that takes place afterwards would be better off being their own chapter since we already had a significant moment between Velvet and Eleanor in this chapter. I've learned it is not the best idea to condense too much in one chapter.

I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter. Please leave a review because feedback is greatly appreciated. See you next time.


	4. Things are Different

**Author Notes** : This marks one year since the release of this story's first chapter along with celebrating the beginning of Summer 2018. I wanted to ensure that this chapter would be ready in time for the anniversary. I always do my best to ensure my active stories have a chapter released in time for their anniversary, and I'm proud to maintain that streak. While I do wish I had released more chapters of this story, other things came up. The Persona 5 anime caused me to prioritize "Into the Fog," but I made sure to work on this story.

While the game between this chapter and the previous one has been has been wide, I'm glad it hasn't been the widest gap. I have hopes to produce more chapters prior to the end of the Summer to further capitalize on the Summer like setting for this story.

As I promised, this chapter will continue where the previous one left off. We will see Velvet and Eleanor have their long awaited rematch. Both of them will be going at it using their skills and not relying on anything besides their ability to use their weapons. I figured I would make things 'simple' so to speak. Additionally, I figured it would be a duel that the both of them would decide to agree on since they aren't enemies anymore.

I hope you will enjoy reading this chapter and you will provide reviews after reading. Your feedback support is always greatly appreciated.

/

Spoken & Unspoken Words

Chapter 4 – Things are Different

/

Nothing is constant

Change is inevitable

For better or worse

/

It was nighttime on a small deserted island that had remained untouched by both the Abbey and Daemons. In fact, it was an island overlooked by almost everyone except for the Aifread Pirates who made this island their vacation getaway. It was a getaway that Velvet Crowe decided to take advantage of. She knew they had the time for it.

With Artorius and Innominat's plans for global suppression temporarily halted, Velvet's group had a respite. Velvet decided that for once, they would use it to take a vacation away from fighting the Abbey as well as potentially causing mayhem and destruction. Their first day had gone smoothly. Everyone had a good time at the beach, and they enjoyed the cookout as well. However, the day was not yet over for Velvet.

Aside from a few lookouts, everyone in the Aifread's pirates as well as 'Magilou's Menagerie' were resting at their camp. The cool night air filled the atmosphere, and everything was peaceful and quiet. At least it was everywhere except for the plateau where Velvet and Eleanor were having their duel.

 **Clang!**

The sound of metal clanging and ringing upon impact could be heard as they fought. Eleanor was using her trident spear while Velvet was using her blade gauntlet and shoes. They were fighting with their real weapons and using their fighting skills to win the duel. Neither were using their special abilities to fight as Velvet's left arm remained bandaged, and Eleanor did not call upon the additional power Laphicet could provide her.

"Heyah!" Velvet jumped up sideways in a spinning motion while the blades connected to her shoes shot out.

Eleanor held up her spear horizontally above her head as she attempted to block the oncoming attack. Eleanor felt the force of the blade coming down in the pole. The force of Velvet's jump attack nearly caused Eleanor to buckle her knees, but she withstood the attack and pushed her weapon upwards.

This forced Velvet's body back. The blades in her shoes retracted as she landed on the ground. Instead, she unlocked the blade in her gauntlet before resuming her offensive. She swung her sword with a horizontal strike and Eleanor was forced to defend herself with the pole again.

"Grh …" Eleanor gritted her teeth upon blocking the attack.

Velvet then moved away. She held out her hand and taunted Eleanor. "Come on, 'Crybaby Exorcist'! I thought you were better than that!"

"…" Eleanor remained silent as she tightened her grip on her spear. She took a deep breath before the Exorcist then launched her own offensive.

Velvet smiled before she swung her blade again. A loud clanging sound could he heard when Velvet's blade landed between the head blades of Eleanor's trident type spear. Both combatants' blades were crossing with the other. It was a deadlock.

"Grh …" Both combatants were gritting their teeth. Their feet were firmly placed on the ground as they attempted to vie for superiority. Both could feel their muscles flexing. The next move would determine the victor.

Eleanor broke the deadlock when she stepped back. She then launched her spear in an attack against Velvet. It was now or never.

When Eleanor broke the deadlock, Velvet did not step forward nor was she caught off guard when Eleanor backed away. Velvet actually withdrew her blade back into the gauntlet after Eleanor broke off. In that brief second, Eleanor's eyes widened when she saw Velvet grinning. Eleanor didn't have a chance to react.

Velvet sidestepped to avoid the spear attack. She then hit Eleanor's body with her own, Velvet's shoulder hit Eleanor's chest. The hardness of Velvet's shoulder stunned Eleanor who was forced back, but Velvet wasn't done. She reactivated the gauntlet blade and struck directly at Eleanor's spear which she was only holding it with one hand.

Eleanor's eyes widened upon feeling the impact on her spear. "No!" Eleanor cried out as she felt her fingers lose their grip on the pole of the spear. She saw the spear fly away from her hands as it spun away and landed on the rocky surface.

Before Eleanor could do a thing, Velvet spun her body around and kicked her foot up into Eleanor's stomach. "Gah!" Eleanor gasped and her eyes widened as she felt Velvet's foot dig into her stomach.

The force of Velvet's attack was so great that it caused Eleanor's feet to briefly leave the ground before she would roughly land on the rocky surface of the plateau that would've ripped into her skin if she wasn't wearing her Exorcist uniform. Eleanor had her eyes closed as she skidded on the surface.

"Grh … crap …" Eleanor groaned in pain as she put her hand on her stomach. Velvet really got her good with that last attack.

When Eleanor opened her eyes, she could see that Velvet was standing over her. Before she could get up, Velvet held out her blade inches from Eleanor's face.

"…" Velvet didn't say a word as she stood there holding the extended wrist blade.

Eleanor sigh, "You win."

"Hmph." Velvet grinned before she pulled the blade away from Eleanor. She commented, "That was more satisfying to hear you say that than I thought it would."

"Aw damn …" Eleanor leaned her head back onto the rocks in defeat. "I can't believe I lost again."

"Heh." Velvet chuckled as she pointed her blade at the downed Eleanor again as she playfully commented, "I guess some things don't change do they?"

"Ugh …" Eleanor groaned, "I really thought I had you that time."

"It'll take more than that to beat me, but it was still a good duel." Velvet withdrew her blade as it retracted into the gauntlet attached to her wrist. Velvet leaned forward and offered her hand to Eleanor. "Here."

"Heh." Eleanor smiled as she took Velvet's hand. "At least it ended better than the last one."

"It wouldn't be that hard." Velvet remarked in a deadpan tone.

"Hmm …" Eleanor scratched the back of her head as she reluctantly replied, "That's true …"

Velvet crossed her arms and advised Eleanor, "You really should heal yourself, Eleanor. Unlike me, your body is a lot more vulnerable."

"Right." Eleanor activated her arte to heal herself as Velvet arms remained crossed while she watched the Exorcist.

"…" While Eleanor was bathed in her arte's healing light, Velvet briefly glanced at her bandaged arm before looking back at Eleanor.

After Eleanor healed herself, she asked, "Is something wrong?"

"No." Velvet uncrossed her arms as she asked, "You're good now right?"

"Yeah." Eleanor answered, "I'm all healed now. Do you need me to heal you too?"

Velvet looked away and grabbed her left bandaged arm with her right arm as she told Eleanor, "I'm good. I'm not as vulnerable as you."

"Hmph." Eleanor activated her arte regardless as she remarked, "I knew you were too stubborn."

The light of Eleanor's healing arte enveloped Velvet's body which caused her to feel warm. It was one of the only things that could affect how her body felt. She could feel the light scratches on her body suddenly disappear.

"I knew you had some scratches on you." Eleanor grinned. "You really should be honest about things like that Velvet."

Velvet shrugged her shoulders, "Fine, fine. I will."

"Heh." Eleanor chuckled, "You and Laphicet really are a lot alike aren't you."

"He is kinda my nephew after all." Velvet quickly realized what she said as she looked away from Eleanor and lightly bit her lip, "…"

"That is kinda true." Eleanor remarked, "There's nothing wrong in mentioning that. If things had gone the way they should've, I'm sure you would've been a great aunt to him."

"Mmm …" Velvet glanced away as she thought to herself, _"Should've? How should they have gone? How could things have really turned out …"_

"Um …" Eleanor held up her hand as she tried to think of something else to say.

Velvet waved off Eleanor's hand. "Forget it. It's all in the past now." Velvet walked away towards the protruding rock on the plateau as she looked up to the night sky above.

"I'm sorry Velvet. That's not what I …" Eleanor reluctantly turned away as she said,, "I'm going to head back …"

"Huh?" When Velvet noticed Eleanor was moving away, Velvet held up her hand and called out, "No! Don't go back yet!" Velvet's mouth was left agape and her eyes widened upon realizing how desperate she was. She didn't have much time. When she saw that she had Eleanor's attention, Velvet immediately looked to the sky and pointed up before Eleanor could look her way, "Don't head back yet. Look up there."

"Hmm …" Eleanor looked up to see it was filled with stars.

They had seen these stars before, but this time, it was just the two of them. There was no party going on around them. They weren't fighting their war against the Abbey. No one was attempting to capture or kill them. It was a tranquil moment. A moment they were free to sit back and enjoy the view.

"…" Eleanor couldn't help but smile as she admitted, "It really does look nice."

"Yeah …" Velvet sat down on the protruding rock and asked, "Would you want to watch it a little longer?" Velvet patted the side of the rock and said, "Here."

"Hmm …" Eleanor took a moment before replying, "Sure. Sounds good to me."

The two remained sitting back to back to each other for a while before Velvet said the next word, "You know … The sky … It seems a little different. Being able to look up at the sky without being on the move."

Eleanor remained looking up at the sky as she replied, "Yeah. It's kinda nice being able to sit around and just admire the stars like normal people."

"Hmph." Velvet glanced down as she softly remarked, "Normal people …" 

"Yeah." Eleanor's face seemed as bright as ever as she kept looking up, "I guess it is kinda funny."

"Well I guess no matter what we are," Velvet looked up to the sky again as she finished, "we can still like the same thing."

"Hmm?" Eleanor remained sitting on the rock as she glanced over her shoulder to look at Velvet.

"Somewhere up there, Innominat and Artorius are there waiting for us to come to them." There was no hatred in Velvet's voice as she spoke. If anything, Velvet sounded genuinely curious as she asked, "I wonder if they're looking down at us and wondering when we'll finally make our move. Are they playing 'wait and see'?"

"…" Eleanor knew these were eggshells, but she still blurted out the first thing she thought, "I couldn't tell you. I thought I could guess what he was thinking, but I guess I couldn't I um …" Eleanor bit her lip as she thought, _"Damn it! What the hell was that?"_

"You're not the only one." Velvet solemnly admitted, "I knew long before that day that he was sad, but I never would've imagined it went that far. I didn't think I was that clueless. In the end, I never really understood either of them even though I was with them every day."

"Velvet …" Eleanor turned her body as she remained sitting.

"Well I guess we shouldn't feel too bad about that." Velvet stood up as she said, "The prince and literally everyone else in the world, expect for a handful of the Abbey, had any idea about that whole 'Innominat Suppression Plan'. It shouldn't be a surprise that an 'Honor Student' and a 'Lord of Calamity' wouldn't be able to figure him out."

"Hmm …" Eleanor remained resigned as she looked down to the ground.

"Anyway," Velvet scratched the back of her head as she remarked, "If they want us to come to them, I say let's keep them waiting a little longer. They kept me locked up for three years. I don't mind forcing them to wait. We're still gonna be here for a few more days. Let's let Phi enjoy himself."

"Hmm …" Eleanor remained sitting on the rock as she looked over her shoulder to Velvet.

"…" Velvet took a moment before turning around and asking, "Are you enjoying yourself so far Eleanor?"

"Huh?" Eleanor looked up in surprise at the unexpected question. After taking a few moments, she was able to process the question and nodded, "Yes. I'm having a great time so far. This has been a great vacation."

"Glad to hear it." Velvet crossed her arms and looked to the side as she remarked, "You know. This is really a nice place." Velvet gestured to the plateau. "This is better than I thought it would be. We should try dueling here again." Velvet glanced to Eleanor before asking, "Think you'd be up for it?"

"I think that'd sound great." Eleanor happily suggested a proposal, "Let's make this a nightly routine for us. Enjoy our vacation in the day and duel at night."

"Hmph." Velvet grinned as she placed her hands on her waist. "So dedicated even on vacation. You really are a true 'Honor Student'."

"Hmm …" Eleanor remained sitting on the rock as she softly said, "Hey Velvet …" Eleanor softly called out.

"Yeah?" Velvet turned her attention to the former Abbey Exorcist.

"I've heard you call me 'Honor Student' before." Eleanor tilted her head as she asked, "Why do you call me that?"

"…" Velvet glanced away for a moment before looking back and crossing her arms. "Do you take it as an insult?"

Eleanor shook her head. "No. Not really."

Velvet uncrossed her arms as she glanced in Eleanor's direction and remarked, "It was never meant to be one. I've heard you talk to Phi about a lot of things like how much you've trained along with the other things you know. It was the first thing that came to mind." 

"Really?" Eleanor inquired further.

"Yes." Velvet then looked up to the sky as she answered, "After seeing how you know a lot, it goes to show you did more than just training. You must've been pretty serious when you went to school or at least when the Abbey took you in."

A blush lightly formed on Eleanor's face as she looked away. "My … My mother did teach me a lot before she … but yes you're right. I did take my studies **very** seriously." Eleanor looked at Velvet as she told her, "I always wanted to travel the world to help people. I figured it was important to know a variety of things." Eleanor clarified, "You know about their history and culture. That way I can know more about people in general."

"Mmm …" Velvet nodded her head. "Makes sense."

"Yeah well …" Eleanor sighed, "… I know now how naïve I was for thinking that's all it took. Learning things from a book isn't enough." Eleanor looked at Velvet as she added, "And meeting someone once isn't enough to get to know them either." 

"Hmph." Velvet smiled as she remarked, "You're less naïve now, so that counts for something."

"Oh?" Eleanor leaned forward as she inquired, "Was that supposed to be compliment, too?"

Velvet put her fists on her hips and looked away as a light blush began forming on her face. She sternly told the former Exorcist. "Take it as you will."

"Heh." Eleanor lightly chuckled as she smiled. "Okay. Then I **will** take it as a compliment."

"Whatever." Velvet shrugged as she continued to look away, "Fine by me."

"I definitely will." Eleanor remarked in a teasing matter.

"…" Velvet's eyes darted to Eleanor's spear and quickly asked, "You said you trained almost every day right?"

"Um …" Eleanor briefly taken aback by the question answered, "Yeah. Ever since I joined the Abbey."

"I guess that's one more thing we have in common." Velvet held out her hand with her sword gauntlet. "Ever since I became 'his' student, I've learned how to fight, so I could hold my own for … I just needed to know how to fight. I wanted to be strong."

Eleanor nodded, "I understand. Has our duel helped you at all?'

"…" Velvet lowered her hand as she replied with a grin, "It's been fun. So yeah it is."

Eleanor smiled as she stood up from the rock. "Glad to know you're having a good time. I'm up for another round if you are."

Velvet grinned as she stood up and welcomed the challenge. "Sounds good to me. I'm ready when you are."

"Just give me a second." Eleanor crossed her right forearm with her left elbow to stretch out her left arm. She then switched as she told Velvet, "I'm not going to let you get me this time."

"Heh." Velvet grinned as she held up her hand gestured with her fingers, "Come at me when you're ready. I'll be ready anytime," She curtly added, "Crybaby Exorcist."

"Hmph." Eleanor puffed her lips, "You better be." Eleanor finished stretching her arms. "I'm not going to lose again." Eleanor grabbed her spear as Velvet readjusted her gauntlet. Before they got started, Eleanor asked, "Same rules as before right?"

"I don't need to use this." Velvet held out her bandaged arm. Velvet confidently declared, "I have more than enough to take you down again."

Eleanor positioned herself as she playfully told her opponent, "Just don't go using it when you lose."

"Okay." Velvet readied herself. "Let's do this."

Eleanor grinned as she held up her spear. "Bring it."

/

It was another tiring fight. After it was over, both combatants were breathing heavily as they sat back to back to each other again on the protruding rock. Eleanor especially seemed spent.

"Aw man …" Eleanor said in dismay, "Give me a break … That's three times now …"

"Better luck next time …" Velvet did not appear nearly as exhausted as Eleanor, but she was tired.

"Just give me a minute …" Eleanor held her hands together to activate her healing arte to heal them both. It alleviated them for the most part, but they still felt some fatigue.

"That's much better." Velvet remarked as she flexed her fingers.

"I see the flower is still doing okay." Eleanor stated, "I'm glad you like it so much."

"What?" Velvet then reached up to her head and felt the flower was still there. "Huh…?" Velvet lightly blushed as she remarked, "I forgot to put it away …" She was grateful that her back was to Eleanor while her blush receded.

"Heh. Heh. You didn't notice?" Eleanor playful asked.

Velvet put down her hand as she replied, "No …"

"That funny, but how exactly did that flower stay in your hair?" Eleanor inquired. "I would've thought it'd fall out sometime during the fight."

"After you gave it to me, I tied it in my hair." Velvet answered. She put her hand in her hair and remarked, "Looks like it's still tied up tight."

"Glad to hear it." Eleanor replied, "It really looks good on you."

"Well …" Velvet stated as she looked back up at the night sky, "You did pick a good flower."

"You can thank my mother for that." Eleanor fondly replied, "She was good at things like that."

"I see …" Velvet merely replied.

"Anyway," Eleanor then stated, "I really thought I had you. You weren't using any of your powers or anything."

"It's for the better I don't …" Velvet looked at her bandaged arm. "It'd take the fun out of these little duels."

"…" Eleanor took a moment before saying, "If you don't mind, there have been two things I've been wondering about for a while."

Velvet replied, "Go ahead."

"If you unbandage your arm for anything, even to take a swim, would it …" As Eleanor continued her question, it became more awkward for her to ask which caused her to slow down.

Velvet didn't wait for Eleanor to finish asking, "It would turn into a Therion monster arm. It doesn't matter what I unbandage it for. It will always do the same thing."

Eleanor replied, "I'm sorry."

"Huff…," Velvet took a deep breath before assuring Eleanor, "… It's not your fault. Artorius and Innominat did this to me. Not you."

"…" Eleanor remained silent.

Velvet stood up from the protruding rock and looked at Eleanor and asked, "You're not going to tell me I shouldn't pursue revenge are you?"

"I couldn't." Eleanor stood up and looked Velvet in the eye, "Not after what the Abbey did to Kamoana and Medissa." Eleanor briefly glanced away before saying, "Not to mention what happened to me. I'd be an even bigger hypocrite if I told you not go have your revenge. Besides, you're not just doing it for yourself anymore."

"…" Velvet closed her eyes and reopened them before asking, "Then what was the second?"

"This is actually something I've been wondering about for the past week …" Eleanor asked, "When I almost let myself get consumed by Malevolence, why didn't you panic? You knew what would happen to Laphicet if I let that happen right?"

Velvet's expression remained the same as she asked, "Would it have helped?"

Eleanor shook her head, "No but …"

Velvet told her, "I didn't think you would let yourself fall."

"Huh …" Eleanor felt her face drop as she asked, "You had faith in me? Why?" Eleanor had difficulty looking Velvet in the eyes as she said, "I didn't do anything … I was going to fall … You and Rokurou were the ones that helped me …. I just kept …"

"We didn't do much either." Velvet interrupted the insecure Exorcist as she shrugged, "All Rokurou and I did was read a note Kamoana's mother left behind. You pulled yourself out of it on your own."

Eleanor attempted to weakly protest, "But still … I would have …"

Velvet firmly stopped Eleanor's protest, "But you didn't. That was good enough for me. That was good enough for Kamoana. You've been the big sister she needed."

"…" Eleanor was at a loss for words.

"I said it before, but I'll say it again. No one is perfect not even our mothers. If anything, I'm the best example of that. In fact, I'm the incarnation of that." Velvet sounded like she was boasting before sounding more sincere, "But you've done what you had to do for others. I have always …" Velvet couldn't help but think back to what she spoke with Magilou about earlier that night. It caused her to slow down before finishing her sentence, "… I believe it is admirable."

"…" Eleanor couldn't bring herself to say a word as Velvet spoke.

Velvet smiled as she told Eleanor, "You've stayed true to yourself. You've changed from who I met before. You have your own problems, and you've made mistakes, but you are still true to the person you wanted to be. I've always admired that about you."

"Velvet I …," Eleanor was at a loss for words. "I don't know what to say …"

"You don't have to say a thing." Velvet solemnly stated as she crossed her arms and looked away, "You don't need to say a thing at all."

"Thank you Velvet." Eleanor said with a smile. "Thank you for all you've done for me. I never could've done this without you."

"Idiot …" Velvet said under her breath, "… I'm the one who should be thanking you …"

"Um … What was that?" Eleanor took a step forward. "Did you say something?"

"It was nothing …" Velvet attempted to deny as she avoided eye contact.

"Hmm?" Eleanor neared Velvet who continued avoiding eye contact. "Don't lie Velvet." Eleanor firmly stated, "I heard you say something. What did you say?"

"Umm …" Velvet bit her lip. Her mind went back to what Magilou told her. "It was …"

"It was what?" Eleanor leaned forward.

"I …" Velvet kept finding the words getting caught in her throat.

"…" Eleanor looked at Velvet for a few moments before easing up and moving back. She looked down and replied dejectedly, "If it's that hard for you … I guess I'll just go back …"

When Velvet saw Eleanor turn around, it caused Velvet's heart to jump. It felt as if this could be her last chance to say something. Before Eleanor could walk away, Velvet said out loud, "Oh what the hell?! Eleanor there is something I need to talk to you about!"

Eleanor turned around and replied with an uneasy tone, "Okay …"

"Earlier, …" Velvet rubbed the back of her head as she attempted to think of the right words, "Magilou she um … She told me about how not saying things could um … how people regret 'unspoken words' …" A reddish hue began to form on Velvet's cheeks, but it was difficult to for anyone to notice at night.

"Hmph …" Eleanor admitted, "She's not wrong about that. There's plenty of …" Eleanor cut herself off when she saw Velvet was looking anxious. "I'm sorry. Continue."

"What I wanted to say was …" Once again the words were caught in Velvet's throat.

Eleanor leaned forward again, "Yes?"

"I … I don't think …" Velvet pounded her chest to clear her throat as she said, "I'm not sure if I ever actually said, 'Thank you.'"

Eleanor raised an eyebrow, "Thank you?" 

"Yes, that's right. Thank you." Velvet repeated herself, "I just wanted to say 'Thank you.'"

"Thank me?" Eleanor was caught off guard as she asked in surprise, "What for?"

"Well …" Velvet reluctantly reminded Eleanor, "Remember after we escaped from Innominat and Silva's dragon form?" 

Eleanor hesitantly replied, "Yes?"

Velvet stated, "I asked you to carry Phi for me."

It took a moment for Eleanor to get where Velvet was going with this. "Oh yeah … That's right … Because of the Malevolence."

"Yes." Velvet glanced down at her bandaged left arm as she stated, "My body was emitting it at the time. It wasn't safe for me to touch Phi at the time. Thank you for taking care of him for me. If I touched him …" Velvet tensed up as she closed her bandaged fingers, "… I probably would've killed him."

"Of course." Eleanor nodded her head. "I was more than happy to. I'd do it again too. He's like a little brother to me just like he is to you."

"I knew you would." Velvet replied.

"But um …" Eleanor hesitantly asked, "… why did you let me in on your problem?"

"…" Velvet didn't give Eleanor an immediate response.

"I mean … I …" Eleanor felt the need to double back as she explained, "You could have asked Eizen or Magilou to help Laphicet. Rokurou is a Daemon too, but he hasn't had that kind of problem, so he probably would've been okay. I'm sure even Zavied would've been willing to do you that favor. He kinda seems to like Laphicet, and he seems to have a …" Eleanor hesitantly added, "… certain respect for you. So why did you ask me?"

Velvet dryly asked, "Do you seriously think I could trust Magilou with that?"

"Mmm …" Eleanor didn't need to think hard on that one before she chuckled, "Heh … I guess not."

Velvet stated in a matter of fact tone, "Anyway, you were the best option."

"I was?" Eleanor was taken aback by the admission.

Velvet crossed her arms and looked away from Eleanor as she explained, "Because I knew you'd be able to catch on to what I was getting at, and I knew you wouldn't tell the others what the problem was either."

"…" It was Eleanor's turn to be silent.

"I … I also appreciate that you kept that to yourself." A blush began forming on Velvet's face again as she looked away.

"That was also something I was happy to do for you, but to be honest I was actually a little surprised you were willing to confide in me." Eleanor blatantly admitted.

"…" Velvet couldn't bring herself to say a word.

Eleanor waved her arms as she said, "It's not that I don't appreciate you doing that. I was just … you know surprised that you did. It made me curious about why."

"That's because I …" Velvet reluctantly finished, "… I trust you."

"You …" Eleanor was taken aback again. "You really trust me?"

Velvet looked Eleanor in the eyes and asked, "Isn't it obvious by now?"

"Well … I thought … I was hoping you did, but … you know …" Eleanor couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence.

"I know. I know what I said before." Velvet crossed her arms as she glanced away and said, "But things have changed since I said that. Haven't they?"

Eleanor nodded, "True."

"I'm …" Velvet shook her head and said, "I don't usually say this, but I'm sorry for what I said before. About not trusting you and always thinking that you were going to stab us in the back." Velvet let a sigh as she admitted, "I was wrong."

"Hmm …" Eleanor took a moment to reply, "You weren't wrong for doubting me for a while. I was your enemy. For a while, I was considering handing Laphicet over to the Abbey, but traveling with you and the rest of the group changed my mind." Eleanor made sure to add, "I'd like to think for the better."

"…" Velvet once again remained silent.

"But wow. I mean just … wow …" Eleanor repeated in disbelief, "I can't believe you're seriously apologizing to me. To me. That's a real surprise."

"Eleanor." Velvet indignantly responded, "I think we already established that even I can feel bad about things."

"That's … also true …" Eleanor hesitantly admitted.

"Anyway … I'll just say it one more time." Velvet bowed her head slightly as she reiterated, "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be like that Velvet. It's not like you." Eleanor waved her hands.

Velvet raised her head as she told Eleanor, "I'm just doing what I should've done a long time ago." Velvet averted her eyes as she stated, "I was just too stubborn to do so."

"It's okay. Apology accepted." Eleanor began to reach out to Velvet as she said, "If anything I should …"

"You might want to be careful." Velvet warned Eleanor as her hand was about to touch Velvet's shoulder. Velvet continued looking away from Eleanor with a solemn face.

"Hmm …" Eleanor took a moment before touching Velvet's shoulder. "I can take it, and I won't let it hurt Laphicet either." Eleanor smiled at Velvet as she assured Velvet, "Seems like you're fine right now."

"…" The feeling of Eleanor's hand touching her shoulder caused Velvet to feel warm. The hand was soft and comforting. She wasn't sure how to respond to it. She simply glanced at Eleanor's hand before then looking at Eleanor and replied, "… I guess so. Just be careful."

"Anyway, as I was saying, if anything I should apologize to you as well." Eleanor said while she kept her hand firmly on Velvet's shoulder.

"You …" Velvet took a moment to process that last statement. Velvet pointed at herself, "… You want to apologize to me?"

"Yes." Eleanor let go of Velvet's shoulder as she said, "You're not the only one who regrets saying something." Eleanor looked down as she told Velvet, "I remember calling you … well I basically called you …"

"It's fine." Velvet interrupted and brushed off the Exorcist.

"What …?" Eleanor looked up.

Velvet had her hands on her hips as she told Eleanor, "I don't need some kind of long drawn out apology. It's in the past. Things are different now."

"Even so …" Eleanor told Velvet, "I can't forget what I called you …"

"Then don't." Velvet stated, "I'm not going to forget anything. It's for the best we don't."

"Hmph …" Eleanor conceded, "You're right. We shouldn't. Speaking of not forgetting things, I remember something you said back on the ship." Eleanor had Velvet's attention when she said, "You mentioned how a few 'bizarre' things have happened on this adventure."

"Yeah." Velvet asked, "What about it?"

"Well … there's something I really got to admit." Eleanor stated, "I felt like things have been bizarre for me ever since the day I met you, but there's one thing that I feel that might be the most bizarre of them all."

Velvet tilted her head, "And that is?"

Eleanor smiled as she told Velvet, "Becoming your friend."

"What?" Velvet felt her body physically back away as her eyes widened and her mouth dropped.

"Heh." Eleanor seemed rather amused as she asked, "Are you that surprised?"

"Well …" Velvet took a moment to recover. "Huff …" Velvet cleared her throat before she bluntly admitted, "A little. I guess a part of me is just glad you haven't been trying to run that spear through my head."

Eleanor sarcastically replied, "Gee thanks."

Velvet crossed her arms as she replied, "Seriously though, I'm a little surprised you considered me a friend, especially after what we said back in that dream Aball."

"That was a while ago." Eleanor reminded Velvet, "A lot has happened since then. Things are different now." Eleanor ended that with a smile.

"Heh." Velvet nodded while keeping her arms crossed, "That is true."

"Yes." Eleanor clarified, "Things were getting better between us for a while, but I do think things really changed after we escaped from Innominat and that dragon. The way you trusted me with Laphicet meant a lot."

"…" Velvet remained silent as she uncrossed her arms.

"Before you only let me look after him out of necessity since I'm his vessel." Eleanor put her hand on her chest as she spoke with sincerity, "But that time was different. You asked me to look after him. You trusted me with him. You also trusted me to keep quiet about that Malevolence emitting from you. I knew you didn't want anyone else to know, so I didn't tell anyone about that."

"…" Velvet still found herself unable to say a word.

"I'm not wrong am I?" Eleanor held up her hand and took a step forward, "I didn't meant to be presumptions, but we are friends now right?"

"Hmm …" Velvet answered, "To be honest, I never thought it. But after hearing you say all this, I guess we are."

"…" Eleanor's lack of satisfaction was present on her face when she frowned.

Velvet then corrected herself, "We are. We are friends."

Eleanor's frown quickly turned to a smile as she stated, "I'm … glad you think so too. It does mean a lot."

"Heh." Velvet chuckled as she couldn't help but lampshade the situation, "A Daemon and an Exorcist friends? That really is a bizarre combination no matter how you slice it."

"You're telling me, but it works." Eleanor playfully pointed out, "At least after they stop trying to fight each other and try to get along."

"Make no mistake, Eleanor." Velvet held up her right pointer finger as she bluntly told Eleanor, "We're the exception. Not the rule. We were just lucky." Velvet bluntly added with a shrug, "If you even want to call it that."

As much as Eleanor hated to admit it, "… Yet another true statement." The hint of sadness was evident in her voice.

Velvet rhetorically asked, "Have I ever lied?"

"No." Eleanor didn't hesitant to answer, "As much as I wished you were lying sometimes, you never did. You were always honest with me."

"Yeah well …" Velvet stated, "You can thank my sister for raising me. I knew from the start that 'honesty is the best policy'. I never hid the fact that I needed you all for different reasons, but things have changed. I'd like to think it has been for the better."

"Hmph …" Eleanor looked up to the stars in the sky as she stated, "This has been a rather 'Bizarre Adventure' from the very start. So many things I never thought possible or even knew existed ended up proving me wrong time and time again. I found out for myself just how small and naïve I really am."

"Even I was naïve to things too …" Velvet admitted as she looked up as well.

"However," Eleanor smiled as she told Velvet, "despite everything that's happened, all the highs, lows, and dangers we've been though, I have to say that when I look back on everything, it has been a lot of fun?"

Velvet looked down to Eleanor and inquired, "Fun?"

"Yeah, fun." Eleanor looked down to meet Velvet's eyes. Her voice was sincere as she told Velvet, "I know we've caused a lot of destruction and problems, but so has pretty much everyone else. I may not have always enjoyed it, but when I look back on these past few months it has been the best part of my life. I don't think I've ever been this happy since my mother died."

"Eleanor …" That was the only world Velvet could say in response. Her lips were apart as she found herself unable to say another word.

"I don't know if you heard me say things before, but I thought becoming a nun or an Exorcist were the only ways to give my life purpose after what happened to my mom." Eleanor seemed happy when she admitted, "But just like everything else, I ended up being completely wrong again. If anything, my life would've been rendered meaningless if I hadn't run into you. Now that I'm on the outside looking in, I realize I was just going with the flow. That is not what my mom would've wanted nor the younger me. I just never realized I was stuck in that flow before I met you."

"You were doing good things as an Exorcist Eleanor." Velvet assured Eleanor, "You didn't trick or force people into becoming Therions. Nor did you torture people for experiments like the Abbey did. Even when we were enemies, you weren't like that at all." Velvet added for emphasis, "You were good."

Eleanor shook her head, "That doesn't matter. They were doing that under my nose when I was with them." She held a fist over her chest as her eyes narrowed as her voice slowly began to fill with disgust, "They were committing their own atrocities, and I probably would've been used as their guinea pig, so they could commit more. I can only hope that after this is over that maybe we can start healing the world the right way."

"…" Velvet decided to remain silent again to let Eleanor finishing.

Eleanor appeared to ease up as she released her fist and her face softened. "After everything I've seen, I know both sides have done a lot of bad, but most people don't know what the Abbey has done."

Velvet bluntly remarked, "It might be for the better if they don't."

"Huh?" Eleanor tilted her head.

"Almost all of the ones responsible for the horrible things the Abbey did are dead now." Velvet pointed out a she curled her bandaged fingers into a fist, "They paid the price for their crimes. The only ones left are Artorius and Innominat. Once they're gone, things can start anew." Velvet held out her hand and gestured to Eleanor as she told her, "I'm sure someone like you could do that."

"Um …" Eleanor's widened. She took a step back as she asked, "You … you really think so?"

Velvet shrugged and shook her head, "I don't know for sure, but I'd like to think there's a chance." Velvet looked Eleanor in the eyes and asked, "There's always a chance isn't there?"

"Hmm …" Eleanor took a moment to think.

"As long as we have out wills, I'd like to think so." Velvet stated.

"Yes. You're right." Eleanor smiled as she told Velvet, "I don't know what the future holds. None of us know, but I know we're going to keep fighting, so we can have one." Eleanor clarified, "So everyone can have one. So everyone can remain free from the cycle of Innominat." Eleanor declared, "It may not mean much, but I want you to know that I'm here with you until the end of the line. I'm not going to let Innominat sacrifice you or Laphicet, so he can have his way. We're going to win."

"Hmm …" Velvet took a step towards and Eleanor and did something Eleanor didn't expect. Velvet patted her on the shoulder. It was an unexpected, but not unwelcomed feeling. Her hand felt the opposite of what she would've expected from Velvet's cold personality even after she had defrosted. Eleanor could feel her cheeks beginning to burn.

"Um …" Eleanor let herself feel distracted by Velvet's gesture, that she almost didn't heard what Velvet said next,

Velvet smiled as she sincerely told Eleanor, "I wouldn't expect any less from you. Needless to say, that does help … a lot more than you know."

"…" Eleanor remained silent as she heard Velvet's words. She smiled upon hearing them.

Velvet concluded with, "You really are a good person." She then let go of Eleanor's shoulder and walked past her. She softly said, "We wouldn't have made it this far without you … I wouldn't have …"

Eleanor's ears perked upon hearing something from Velvet. She immediately turned around, and asked, "What was that?

Velvet kept walking as she told Eleanor, "I said 'we should get some rest. We've got a big day tomorrow.'" Velvet stopped and glanced over her shoulder to remind Eleanor, "Phi wants us to go fishing remember?"

"Right …" Eleanor conceded and followed Velvet back to the camp.

This was only the first day of their vacation. There was more for them to do, and they had this brief respite to do it. They would try to do what they could to enjoy the time they had left. None of them knew what would happen after they would leave. It was important to enjoy the moment, and not leave words unspoken. However, Velvet knew that while she spoke some of the words, there were still some that she had not.

/

 **Omake** :

Eleanor: That takes care of the first day of the vacation.

Velvet: Yeah. It only took the author an entire year to go through the first day of this.

Eleanor: It wasn't entirely the author's fault. The Persona 5 anime was getting released this year, so the author wanted to make sure there were monthly updates ready for "Into the Fog".

Velvet: Yeah. I guess you have a point. Since we don't have an anime or anything, I guess we would be a little lower in the priority list.

Eleanor: The author does hope to complete this story this year. Let's hope we can make that possible.

Velvet: Let's try to give the author the support necessary then.

Eleanor: You know. On another note, I find it kinda interesting that the author decided to produce these omakes for most of the other stories partly based on the trademark 'skits' that you'd see in the Tales series.

Velvet: "Is that right?"

Eleanor: Yep. The author really loves our series, so it is pretty awesome that Tales of Berseria is the first Tales game the author decided to produce a fanfiction story for.

Velvet: Is that right? I wonder if we'll see other Tales games get the fanfiction treatment too.

Eleanor: Not right now. Seems like the author has other priorities right now.

Velvet: I can definitely see that.

Eleanor: Anyway, let's just stay focused on trying to complete this story.

Velvet: Be sure to support the author, or I'll eat you.

Eleanor: Velvet, Velvet. You don't threaten the readers. You need to ask them politely. (Bows head) Please support this story. I beg you.

Velvet: Now you're begging?

Eleanor: Fine. Let's go with this.

Velvet & Eleanor: Leave a review to support the author.

Velvet: It takes the author time to write this.

Eleanor: Be sure to let the author know you support that much.

/

 **Author Notes** : The fight scene between Eleanor and Velvet was fun to write. I liked the duel they had in the game. I know that Velvet had those shoe swords, so I decided to briefly utilize them for this fight. In the game, Velvet is shown to defeat Eleanor by getting her weapon out of her hand and knocking her to ground. I decided to have Velvet do that again but with a different execution. It seems to be an effective strategy.

There were several changes to the conversation that Eleanor and Velvet had in this chapter, but I do feel a sense of satisfaction with it. Velvet decided to say some things that previously were unspoken, but some things still remain that way. Anyway, I enjoyed having Eleanor and Velvet go down memory lane during this chapter. It felt like an excellent way to have the two reflect on how much they have changed since the beginning as well as how they previous interacted with each other.

While I wouldn't be surprised if Velvet and Eleanor had certain conversations off-screen regarding certain issues, I decided to make them the forefront of their conversation here. I can definitely picture Eleanor feeling guilty when she referred to Velvet as being darkness incarnate before learning the truth. Likewise, I'm sure Velvet felt some regret for stating she doesn't trust Eleanor similar to how Eizen apologized to her. While it becomes clear that Velvet clearly trusts Eleanor later in the game, I wish we saw Velvet apologizing to her off-screen. At least fanfiction allows scenes like this to be made.

This chapter was fun to create between both the fight scene and their conversation afterwards. Additionally, I liked that I had fun with writing a chapter predominantly featuring only two characters. Seems like this story and "Sorrowful Peace" are the only ones I occasionally do that when I usually utilize far more characters. I always enjoy the variety, but I don't mind occasionally making the cast significantly smaller from time to time.

As much fun as I'm having with this story, I do know that I need to be gearing towards the end. I would like to think this mini-series project is about half way over. We'll have to see how the story continues to develop. Either way, I believe this story will reach its natural conclusion after a little bit more time. I hope to produce another update or two during the course of Summer 2018, and my goal is to complete this story before 2018 is over. Let's hope I make it.

Please be sure to leave a review for this chapter. A lot of work goes into writing these chapters, and your feedback truly means a lot. Thank you for reading, and I hope to hear from you soon. See you next time.


	5. Reminded Unease

**Author Notes** : The story has returned for another update before Summer 2018 comes to a close. While this is a short chapter, I hope you will all enjoy it regardless.

I'm glad that my reviewers enjoyed the fight scene with Eleanor and Velvet in the previous chapter. Quite a bit of work went into their fight based on what I saw in the game. It makes me proud that the work paid off.

Additionally, I'm glad that the conversation between Eleanor and Velvet was well received. I did my best to consider the character development the two characters had gone through along with how they canonically are on much better terms following the Innominat incident.

I hope you all will enjoy reading this chapter and leave your thoughts on it. Your feedback will be greatly appreciated.

/

Spoken & Unspoken Words

Chapter 5: Reminded Unease

/

A Tranquil Moment

Peaceful but it is fleeting

Reality returns

/

The famous pirate crew that was once led by the late but legendary Captain Aifred was continuing to enjoy their beach vacation prior to their final battle with the Abbey. While a majority of the members were spending time at the beach and enjoying another cookout, there were three notable absences. The daemon, the exorcist, and the little Malakim. However, no one was concerned about them. All three of them had more than proven to be capable of handling themselves.

Velvet, Eleanor and Laphicet sat alongside the cliff as they fished. The trio had been standing and sitting around that cliff-side for hours, but time seemed to roll by for them. There were several fish they had previously caught 'swimming' in the barrels behind them. Despite how many they caught, it wouldn't be enough to feed the entire crew, but it would make a good side dish for the meal.

"Hmph." Velvet seemed satisfied with the situation as she remarked, "I think this is going better than the last time we went fishing."

"Well …" Laphicet hesitantly mentioned, "You didn't need Benwick's help with your fishing line this time, so I'd say you're off to a better start."

"Hey!" Velvet defensively protested, "I was out of practice that time. Fishing again got me back in the groove."

"Heh." Laphicet chuckled. He didn't feel the least bit nervous as he replied, "If you say so."

"…" A smile crept along Velvet's face as she lightly chuckled as well. "Heh. Heh."

"Well." Eleanor appeared to be getting in 'teacher mode' as continued to hold her fishing line with one hand while holding up her other as she stated, "I for one am just glad we're out here fishing for relaxation and recreational purposes rather than investigating an Earth Pulse or finding Therions."

Velvet playfully sighed and shook her head, "You always have to sound like a honor roll student when you talk don't you?"'

Eleanor fidgeted. "Well I … um …"

Velvet shrugged her shoulders as she smirked, "I don't mind. It's actually pretty amusing."

"Seriously?" Eleanor tilted her head as she asked with a dumbfounded look.

As Laphicet listened to the conversation, he suddenly felt something tugging on his line. "Hmm?" His focus was now in front of him.

Velvet replied, "It's what makes you, you. I really find it amazing how you go all honor student even when fishing."

Eleanor blushed as she defensively replied, "H … Hold on I …"

"Hey!" Laphicet called out as he stood up and attempted to pull his line back. "I think I got something! I think it's a big one!"

Velvet took a step towards Laphicet and stated, "Good work, Phi! Now tire it down and reel it in!"

Eleanor concurred, "We're rooting for you!"

"Okay!" Laphicet anchored his feet and stood his ground as he declared, "I can do this!"

"That's the spirit!" Velvet nodded in approval.

Laphicet continued to hold onto the fishing rod. Slowly but surely, he was reeling the fish in closer and closer until he finally managed to pull the fish out of the water. Even as the fish was out of the water, it continued to struggle to break free, but Laphicet managed to reel him to the top of the cliff side. When he finished reeling the fish and held it by the hook, he could see the fish went down to his waist.

"I … I caught this …" Laphicet said in disbelief before a smile formed on his face and he proudly shouted, "I caught it!"

"Great job Phi!" Velvet congratulated the little Malak.

"You were amazing, Laphicet." Eleanor patted Laphicet's shoulder.

The trio exchanged a few laughs as Laphicet put the fish in the bucket. This morsel would be enough to feed a few mouths, and they would make sure Laphicet would have the honor of the first bite when they served it up for dinner.

After some time had passed, Laphicet looked over to Velvet and asked, "Hey Velvet, I've been wondering about a couple of things."

"Go ahead and ask, Phi." Velvet grinned as she assured him, "I won't bite."

"Heh …" Phi chuckled in a deadpan tone, "That doesn't sound too reassuring."

Both Velvet and Eleanor couldn't help but laugh at Laphicet's comment.

Laphicet inquired, "I was wondering, after Aifred died, who is the captain of the Van Eltia? Are you the Captain? Or is it Eizen?"

Velvet raised an eyebrow, "Why do you ask that?"

Laphicet stated in a matter-of-fact tone, "It's just that Benwik always looks to you and Eizen for orders. You tend to give orders to other members of the crew, especially when you sent some of them off on those treasure gathering voyages, so we can get more supplies."

"Hmm …" Velvet scratched the back of her head with her free hand as she admitted, "I honestly never thought about that."

Eleanor rhetorically asked, "You just went with the flow didn't you?"

Velvet shrugged her shoulders, "Pretty much."

"Heh." Eleanor chuckled as she commented, "That is so you."

Velvet then looked to Laphicet before answering him, "If you ask me, I think the crew still considers Aifred to be their captain. They still don't seem to be over his death yet. Even after that toast they gave him, I think they're having a hard time letting go."

"Hmm …" Laphicet tilted his head, "I guess I understand, but it doesn't change the fact he's dead. They do need a new person to call captain right? I'm a little surprised Eizen hasn't stepped up and called himself the captain or maybe you could."

"I don't think Eizen would be the type to shout and proclaim himself the new captain." Velvet speculated, "If anything, he'd want the crew to call him that first." 

"Um …" Laphicet considered Velvet's words for a moment before replying, "Yeah. I guess that's true."

"Besides, if we succeed, there's a good chance none of the Van Eltia crew will be able to see him anymore." Velvet's voice sounded mournful as she looked down to the water and she concluded with, "We're probably lucky they can still see him now."

"Oh right …" Laphicet looked down as he remembered that unfortunate detail, "I almost forget about that."

"I'm sure after the crew is done mourning Aifred, they'll make a decision." Velvet praised them, "They're tougher than I thought they were."

"What about you?" Laphicet suggested, "I think you could become a great captain. After we defeat Innominat, you want to continue doing stuff like this, right?"

"…" Velvet lightly bit her lip before replying, "Laphicet I'm … flattered that you think I should be Captain. I really am, but …" Velvet looked away from Laphicet as she told him, "Maybe in another life. I don't think I can do that now."

"Hmm …?" Laphicet raised an eyebrow and tilted his head, but he wasn't sure what his follow-up question should be.

Before Laphicet could come up with another question, Velvet looked over to him and asked, "What was the second thing you wanted to ask me? You said you were wondering about a 'couple' of things."

"…" Laphicet was momentarily silent, but he decided to take the hint and ask a different question, "When did you and Eleanor become friends?"

"Huh?" Eleanor was taken aback by the question.

"Excuse me?" Velvet had a similar reaction.

Laphicet repeated himself, "When did you and Eleanor become friends?" Laphicet explained, "I'm glad you two are getting along now, but I remember how at the beginning you two were kinda at each other's throats. I know a lot of things changed, but you still didn't completely trust each other. Now I can tell that you're definitely friends, but when did you two work things out and become friends?"

"Umm …" Eleanor looked over to Velvet.

"Hmph." Velvet put her fishing pole into a holding spot before crossing her arms and closing her eyes. She took a moment to think of her answer, "Funny you should ask that because Eleanor and I kinda had the same conversation last night."

"You did?" Laphicet tilted his head.

"It is kinda hard to say when we exactly became friends, but I do know that any previous hostility I felt towards Eleanor was gone after we escaped from In-" Velvet cut herself off before stating, "the Earth Pulse."

"I second that." Eleanor remarked, "Personally, I would like to think we became friends a little earlier, but I'd definitely agree that things were much better after that."

Laphicet looked down as he replied, "I see … Sorry for bringing that up."

"It's okay, Phi." Velvet raised her hand, but she quickly withdrew it as she assured Laphicet, "I guess I'd be curious too if I were you. If someone told me that I'd be happy going fishing with Eleanor after we met, I'd laugh at them."

Eleanor remarked, "I really can't picture you laughing back then. If I did, I think it'd be horrifying."

"Heh. Heh." Velvet chuckled, "I think it would be."

Before their conversation could continue, Velvet noticed something about her line. She grabbed hold of it, and she felt something begin tugging on her line. Her eyes moved from her pole to the water below. The string was moving and Velvet held onto her fishing pole tight. Feeling this tug on her fishing pole caused Velvet's face to light up and a smile to spread.

Velvet called out, "Phi! Eleanor! Get the bucket ready! I think we got a big one!" The two immediately complied as Velvet then began trying to reel it in. What this fish was, it was putting up a fight. Velvet grinned at the face of her latest challenge.

When the fish emerged from the water, Laphicet shouted, "All right! You got it!"

As soon as Velvet got a hold of it, she placed it in the bucket that Laphicet and Eleanor got for her. Velvet wasted no time to boast, "It looked like I caught us lunch."

"But um …" Laphicet titled he head as he questioned, "Aren't we supposed to bring them back to the rest of the group?"

"We will. We got all those other fish, and we'll only be eating this one." Velvet grinned as she said, "I think this would be prefect to share between the three of us."

"The three of us …" Laphicet took a moment to then hear his stomach rumble. That immediately changed his mind, "Okay. Sounds great."

Velvet looked over to Eleanor and asked, "Eleanor, could you use your fire?"

"Uh …" Eleanor reminded Velvet in a deadpan tone, "You do realize I normally use my artes for combat, right?'

Velvet grinned as she asked, "Does that mean you can't?"

Eleanor sighed, "Well … I suppose since you ordered it, I can't exactly go against you. I might as well give it a shot. We'll need some fire wood."

"Way ahead of you." Velvet pulls out firewood from her bag.

Eleanor asked, "When did you get that?

Velvet answered, "A benefit to waking up early."

/

The pride and joy of catching a fish. The satisfaction of preparing it for lunch and the excitement of savoring it for a meal filled Velvet's mind. This rush of this excitement can easily cause someone to momentarily forget their problems as well as something that was so basic. For Velvet, she forgot about the lack of taste only to be reminded the moment she put their cooked fished in her mouth."

"Hmm …" Velvet's eyes briefly widened before remembering. "Oh …" The Therion groaned to herself as she held out her bitten fish in front of her.

Eleanor gulped on her fist before asking, "Something wrong, Velvet?"

"No," Velvet shook her head, "I'm fine." Velvet lied before asking, "How's the fish?"

"Oh …" Eleanor replied, "It's pretty good."

"It's delicious." Laphicet happily replied before returning to his meal.

"I'm glad." Velvet then proceed to keep eating the fish. She did her best to remember what fish tasted like. With every bite she took, she tried to think of what it would feel like on her tongue before she swallowed it.

As soon as they were finished eating, Velvet stood up as she remarked, "With this haul of fish we gathered, we might not be able to get much more. I'm gonna see if there's another spot we can use. You two keep fishing. I'll be right back."

"Hey, Velvet." Eleanor spoke up, "Don't you want us to come?"

"…" Velvet glanced over her shoulder before replying, "I just need to go for a walk. I'll be back in a little bit."

Eleanor asked again, "Are you sure you want to go alone?"

"Yes." Velvet looked away from her companions as she told them, "You and Phi should get back to fishing. I just want to check out more of this island."

Laphicet then asked, "Are you sure you want to go by yourself?"

"I …" Velvet paused and restarted her sentence, "After spending three years exploring the bottom of a jail cell, I'd like the idea of exploring somewhere with fresh air on my own."

Eleanor eyes briefly widened before then looking down, "Oh … I see …"

Laphicet reluctantly replied, "If that's what you want …"

"It is." Velvet then reassured them, "Don't worry. I won't be gone long. I'll be back soon."

/

True to her word, Velvet did wander a ways from their cliff side fishing spot. She found a spot that could be useful to them before then moving inland and walking through the forest. It was lush green. She could see squirrels and rabbits scurrying around.

Velvet mused to herself, "So much for it being uninhabited …"

After walking inland, Velvet could hear running water. Velvet figured there was probably a stream nearby. The sound caused her to be drawn to it. She came across a little stream that would only reach her ankles.

Velvet looked to the sky and saw several birds flying together, "Huh …" Velvet mused, "They must be a family …" Velvet was looking up as she asked, "What kind of answer would you give me if I asked you that question?"

Needless to say, Velvet received no response. The Lord of Calamity leaned against the closest tree and then slowly lowered herself to the ground. She placed her feet in the stream. She could feel the water running across the feet and through her toes. It was a pleasant sensation but it couldn't distract her.

Velvet looked at her bandaged arm and remarked, "It's too bad we couldn't experience this together." Velvet looked to the sky again as she asked, "… Huh Laphi …?"

/

 **Omake** :

Velvet: That was a short one.

Eleanor: I kinda feel disappointed, but at the same time I do like that it was focused on us having some fun.

Velvet: That is what a vacation is supposed to be.

Eleanor: Yeah. A first for both of us in a long time.

Velvet: Exactly. That's part of the reason why this chapter did help set things up for the near future.

Eleanor: I can't help but feel a little worried.

Velvet: You wouldn't be the only one.

/

 **Author Notes** : This chapter was a short one partly due to how I had other stories I was working on, and I wanted to ensure that another chapter was produced before Summer 2018 was over. Additionally, this chapter was meant to act as a transition similar to how Chapter Three was meant for the same thing.

As I mentioned in the previous chapter, I wish there were more moments for these three characters. I thought they could have created an interesting family dynamic. Both Eleanor and Velvet more or less competed over being the better big sister after all. It was nice to see them come to peace later in the game. I would have liked more scenes involving the three of them following those developments. I figured this was my chance.

While this chapter was short, I figured having a prolonged scene with them talking and having fun fishing didn't have to be too long. Otherwise it would be too drawn out and boring. I figured having it this long would be good enough for a character moment for all of them.

The dialogue regarding Laphicet asking Velvet about the 'captain' position was originally going to be dialogue between Velvet and Eleanor in Chapter 1, but then that was postponed to Chapter 4. However, I realized it would be more natural and interesting if Laphicet was the one to ask it. I could picture him asking a question like that. It felt in-character due to his inquisitive mind, and his 'innocent' voice seemed like the best choice. I hope you agree with that.

There are times in the past, I could forget something basic. Something I'd need to remind myself about. I'm sure there were times Velvet would momentarily forget about her lack of taste only to be harshly reminded. I decided that this would be that moment for her. Reality returned for her, and she knows that what will await her is not going to be as enjoyable as this vacation. She knows this might be her last chance to truly enjoy life the way she wishes to.

I would like to believe I'm half done or slightly more than half done with this story. It was meant to be a mini-series. Originally, I thought it would be a one-shot, but it just didn't work out that way, so that's why it became a multi-chapter story, and I like it better that way.

Thank you for your time, and I hope you will leave a review.


	6. The Challenge of Duels

**Author Notes** : This story was on a bit of a break, but now it is time to start moving forward to the end. I've been building towards this end for a while now, and I'm happy that we will finally be reaching the conclusion.

I hope you will all enjoy and provide reviews.

/

Spoken & Unspoken Words

Chapter 6: The Challenge of Duels

/

The past haunts us all

There is no escape from it

Do not run away

/

The sun was waning on the second day of the vacation for the Van Eltia crew and Magilou's Menagerie. It was another day of fun and relaxation for everyone. As the sun was about to set, Velvet, Eleanor, and Laphicet were heading back to camp together with a net of fish in tow. Velvet was doing all of the heavy lifting with relative ease. She carried a net full of fish over her shoulder. While Eleanor and Laphicet offered to help, Velvet assured them, she was fine.

Velvet had returned from her 'walk' less than an hour after she briefly parted ways from her companions as she promised. The Therion stated she needed to clear her head, and neither of her companions decided to press her for details. Since she appeared to be feeling better, it was probably for the best not to question it.

As they walked back to the camp, Eleanor voiced out her desire, "I really wish Kamoana could be here."

"Me too." Laphicet concurred, "I think she'd have fun. Do you think she'd like fishing?"

"I bet she would." Eleanor replied.

"It can't be helped." Velvet pointed out in a matter-of-fact tone, "She's still recovering from her cold. Not to mention, she came close to losing herself as a Therion again."

"I know. I know." Eleanor replied, "I just wish she was here. I hate that she's missing out on this."

Velvet stopped walking and turned around as she said, "If it makes you feel any better, she did live on an island with a village by the beach. I'm sure she experienced plenty of days like this."

Laphicet tilted his head as he conceded, "I guess you have a point …"

Eleanor sighed before replying, "I get what you're saying Velvet, but that's not the point. I wish she was here with 'all' of us, so we could all enjoy this together. After everything we've all been through, she deserves a break like the rest of us."

"Wish …" Velvet softly said to herself.

Eleanor leaned forward and asked, "What was that?"

Velvet shook her head, "Nothing. I was just thinking that we should focus on what's in front of us. I'm sure Kamoana would want you to sit back and relax rather than feeling guilty about her being left out."

"You're right …" Eleanor reluctantly conceded, "… Kamoana isn't the type of girl who would want us to feel bad."

"Exactly." Velvet smiled as she advised Eleanor, "Focus on having a good time for the both of you. When everything is over, you can take her on a vacation of your own."

"That sounds like a great idea!" Laphicet exclaimed, "You can even bring her here! I'm sure Eizen would be okay with that." 

"You know what …" Eleanor smiled as she suggested, "I think that's exactly what I'm going to do. We can all come back together, and we can all have a great time."

"Yeah!" Laphicet excitedly replied.

"…" Velvet offered no words as she watched how happy her companions were. She turned around and said, "Let's go. These fish aren't going to deliver themselves. We'll need time to cook them for dinner."

"Okay." Laphicet replied as he followed Velvet with Eleanor in tow.

/

After delivering the fish, Velvet along with the other ship cooks gutted and cooked the fish. Eleanor did her best to help out. However, she wasn't too keen on the gutting part. Luckily for her, Velvet took notice of this, and she handed Eleanor the fish she had gutted already. She told Eleanor to cook these fish, so she could focus on gutting the remainder. This allowed them to finish preparing the dinner efficiently.

While Eleanor was eating dinner with Velvet and Laphicet, she noticed Rokurou was approaching them. When he was by them, he said, "Hey there ladies. Mind if I join you?"

Before Velvet could offer a response, Eleanor replied, "Of course not."

"…" Velvet offered no words.

"Thank you kindly." Rokurou closed his eyes and bowed slightly before sitting down on the sand.

" _Quite chivalrous."_ Velvet spoke and asked, "What brings you here? Had enough of the stag beetle fights?"

Rokurou stated, "I actually came here to talk about that. The guys and I thought of something you'd find more interesting."

Velvet ears perked as she said, "I'm listening."

Rokurou looked directly at Velvet as he said, "The guys were wondering who would win in a fight between you and me. So how about it?"

"Hmph." Velvet considered it for a few moments before replying, "You're right. That does sound interesting."

"You accept?" Rokurou asked for clarity.

"Of course." Velvet put her plate down and said, "When and where?"

Rokurou grinned as he stated, "Here and now sounds good."

"Fine." Velvet replied.

/

It didn't take long for the crew members of the Van Eltia to gather together and form a circle on the beach that created a makeshift area for the combatants, Velvet Crowe and Rokurou Rangetsu. They were all cheering in excitement.

Magilou was taking bets from some of the crew members. Eizen decided not to participate in that and simply sat on the side. He flipped and caught his trademark coin mid-air before focusing all his attention on the fight in front of him. Laphicet was jumping up and down and rooting for Velvet. Eleanor showed her support for Velvet as well.

Both Laphicet and Eleanor shouted, "Get him, Velvet!"

"Oh!" Rokurou gripped his chest as he jokingly said, "You're tearing out my heart. Yo- Whoa!" Rokurou then moved his head as Velvet pointed her blade at him. "The fight hasn't started yet!"

"Pay attention wannabee-Shigure." Velvet told her opponent.

"Heh." Rokurou chuckled as he held his two short swords in his hands as he told her, "No problem. Just don't complain when I win."

"Heh. Not gonna happen." Velvet snickered, "Still using the daggers even now I see."

"Come on, Velvet." Rokurou grinned as he readied himself, "you know this is my style. Besides, you might be a little too fast for Kurogane."

Velvet smirked as she boasted, "I'll be too fast for those little things, too."

"Oh?" Rokurou grinned in amusement as he tossed his blades and grabbed them in midair, "Then this'll be fun."

Velvet called out, "Benwick!'

Benwick stiffed up and stood straight with perfect posture as he replied, "Yes, ma'am. Let the fight begin in …"

As Benwick was speaking, both Rokurou and Velvet's eyes were locked onto each other as their feet dug into the sand.

Benwick held up three fingers on his right hand and began, "Three … Two … One …" Benwick closed his hand and shouted, "Fight!"

Both fighters launched at each other.

Velvet parried one of Rokurou's blades and jumped back when he attempted to attack her with the other. When Velvet jumped back, she felt the air hit her back. This caused her long black hair to blow the opposite of where she was moving. She was fortunate that her hair didn't impeded her vision as she avoided the dual wielding swordsman.

"Heh." Rokurou asked in his default cocky tone, "What's wrong, Lord of Calamity?" Feeling a little defensive today?"

"…" Velvet didn't say a word as she alternated between avoiding his blades and parrying them.

When their blades clashed again, they could feel their feet sink into the ground. Both leaning forward while making sure they didn't fall as they attempted to overpower the other. It didn't matter whether they were Daemons or humans. Fighting in the sand would always be significantly harder than on solid ground. One false move or unlucky step could easily decide the fight.

Velvet replied as she rushed. Rokurou held both of his blades in the air in a crisscross fashion and caught her sword. The two of them were vying for who would either overpower the other or successfully make the next move.

Two Daemons were going head-to-head. Their blades could be heard clanging just as loudly as the men's shouts. This was turning out to be quite the post-dinner entertainment.

Eleanor and Magilou watched the spectacle unfold as they stood next to each other. Eleanor watched intently while Magilou placed both her hands behind her head. The witch leaned over to the Exorcist and asked in an amused tone, "Nice fight, huh?"

"Yes." Eleanor replied without looking at Magilou with her attention remaining on Velvet's fight.

"So. What are her odds?" Magilou sheepishly grinned, "It kinda looks like our Lord of Calamity is gonna lose."

"I don't think so." Eleanor said while keeping her eyes focused

"Huh?" Magilou raised an eyebrow.

Eleanor stated in a matter-of-fact tone, "She's getting used to his patterns. They've fought with each other since they broke out of Titania, but they haven't really fought against each other in a full-on fight before like she did with me or Eizen, right?"

"You'd be right about that." Magilou replied.

"Both of them are trying to get used to their opponent's patterns." Eleanor stated, "It's a matter of who figures the other out first, and I think ..." Eleanor then confidently placed her bet, "I'm sure it'll be Velvet."

Magilou grinned, "Interesting …"

Velvet kicked her foot up along with some sand. Rokurou managed to avoid getting sand in his eyes as he jumped away. Now he was on the defensive as the Therion jumped in a spinning motion. As Velvet spun, a blade was released from her right foot. She swung her foot down fast which caused Rokurou's eyes to briefly widen before he instinctively parried her attack.

The sudden attack nearly caused Rokurou to lose his grip as he smirked and commented, "I almost forgot you had those. Guess I got … Ah!"

Velvet broke from the parry and continued her assault. She aimed again for the blade in Rokurou's right hand. He didn't have enough time to regain his grip before her attack. When Velvet swung her foot blade down again, Rokurou couldn't maintain his defense as it was knocked from his hand. Rokurou and the spectators saw the sword blade briefly fly in the air before then hitting into the sand tip first. Velvet did not stop her attack. She became more aggressive than Rokurou was anticipating. She alternated between using her wrist blades and her foot blades a she jumped and swung at him.

"No mercy!" Velvet cried out with each attack she launched on the swordsman.

Eleanor took a step forward, but Magilou held up her hand. The Witch told the Exorcist, "It looks like our Lord of Calamity it getting more into it than any of us would've thought." Magilou joyfully grinned as she stated, "Let's see how this plays out."

"…" Eleanor continued watching even after Magilou put her hand down.

Rokurou remained on the defensive until the heel of Velvet's foot managed to break through Rokurou's guard. As the heel of Velvet's foot managed to make contact with Rokurou's head. He was fortunate she didn't have a blade sticking out of the back of her shoe.

Even though Rokurou was a Daemon, he felt the heel of Velvet's foot as it threatened to cause his head to cave in. It forced Rokurou's head to move to the right. Although he remained standing, he was stunned. His eyesight became shaky as he attempted to reorient himself. When he looked forward, he was able to see what was coming, but he couldn't stop it.

Velvet did a backflip off the ground. She briefly knelt down and concentrated her energy in her feet to launch herself up in front of her opponent. While doing so, she kicked her feet out. Her feet collided with Rokurou's chin which not only knocked his head up, but his body was lifted into the air. Rokurou's body briefly 'floated' as he lost grip of his second blade before then crashing onto the sand.

When Rokurou hit the ground, there was a mixture of reactions from the audience. There were some gasps. There were some shouting for Rokurou to get up. The rest were cheering for Velvet's victory.

"Ugh …" Rokurou groaned as he dizzily looked at Velvet who was standing before him. However, it seems as if it didn't register to Velvet the fight was over.

When Rokurou was knocked to the ground, for a split second Velvet instinctively released her bandaged arm. With the bandages gone, Velvet's Daemon left arm was released. The massive demonic arm that could 'eat' anything it grabbed was unleased for all the members of the audience to see.

Upon releasing Velvet's arm, it was followed by a few gasps at the display followed by silence. Velvet's eyes widened as she looked at her arm again. She then closed her eyes and suppressed her power. It took a few moments for her left arm to return to its bandaged state. Her bandaged arm twitched after changing back.

When Eleanor saw Velvet release her Daemon arm, she and Laphicet along with the Van Eltia crew members remained silent. All of the previous cheers had been deafened. Eizen stood up from the ground and appeared tense. Rokurou's eyes briefly widened as he laid on the ground defeated. Magilou didn't feel like making any witting commentary of what they witnessed either. Instead, she had her arms crossed and tilted her head.

As the other crew members stood silent, Rokurou spoke up while he remained lying on the sand, "Oh, boy! I'm done." Rokurou laid the back of his head on the sand as he admitted defeat, "You got me this time, Velvet."

Benwick held up his hand and motioned to Velvet, "And the winner is … Velvet Crow."

After Velvet was declared the winner, Eleanor did what she could and began clapping. Laphicet and Magilou surprisingly followed suit as well. Although, Magilou was not clapping at their pace. Unfortunately, aside from the sound of those three clapping, it was silent.

"Come on guys!" Rokurou stood up and looked at the surrounding crew members as he joyfully said, "What's with the awkward silence? You've got a winner! Give her a round of applause!"

Rokurou began clapping as he looked around at the audience, "Yeah! Come on! Let's hear it!"

"Yeah!" The crew members began following Rokurou's lead and lost themselves in the applause.

While they were applauding, Velvet approached Rokurou, "Rokurou I …

"You're lucky I forgot your shoes have blades in them, too." Rokurou joyfully interrupted Velvet as he continued to grin, "You got me by surprise this time, but you won't get me again."

"…" Velvet took a moment before returning the grin, "You better remember. I don't want to hear the same excuse."

"Ha!" Rokurou puffed his chest, "I won't have to."

"I'll hold you to it." The applause was dying down, so Velvet took that as her cue. She turned her head to Rokurou and merely told him, "Challenge me anytime you want." Velvet then began walking away from the camp and no one pursued her nor attempt to stop her. Eleanor stood still and clasped her chest. She wasn't sure what she should do next.

Velvet had already disappeared into the forest before there was any movement from the people in the camp. Some of the Van Eltia crew members decided to go about their business as usual to enjoy their vacation. However, members of 'Magilou's Menagerie' were more focused on what transpired, especially Eleanor

Laphicet pulled on Eleanor's uniform as he asked, "Do you think Velvet is okay?'

Eleanor looked to Laphicet as she tried to assure him, "She'll be right back. She can handle herself."

Laphicet shook his head, "That's not what I meant."

"Well …" Eleanor looked towards where Velvet had wandered off, "She's better than she used to be."

Laphicet reluctantly concurred, "Yeah … That's true.

Eleanor suggested, "Maybe she just needs a little space. I'll talk to her later. Okay?"

"Okay." Laphicet nodded his head as he replied, "Just make sure she comes back."

Eleanor put her hand on Laphicet's head as she assured him, "That's not going to be a problem."

"Man …" Laphicet put his hands on Eleanor's hand as he remarked, "You really act more and more like Velvet."

"Huh?" Eleanor was taken aback when she let go of Laphicet's head.

"Talk to you later." Laphicet replied as he left her side.

As Laphicet walked away, Eleanor tilted her head as asked herself in a dumbfounded tone, "Is that supposed to be a bad thing?"

"Hey …" Rokurou finished brushing himself off as he approached Eleanor. "I don't get what's going on, but is she really okay?"

"I …" Eleanor hesitated as she answered, "She was okay earlier."

"Was?" Eizen spoke up as he inquired, "What happened?"

"I'm not really sure …" Eleanor looked down as she told them, "We were having fun fishing, but then later she was kinda … sad …"

"Sad, huh?" Rokurou put had hand on his chin as he said out loud, "Whatever is going on with her, at least it doesn't seem as bad as it was when we were in that Earth Pulse."

"We should be grateful for that." Eizen had both his arms crossed as he bluntly stated, "That nearly got us all killed." 

Eleanor tried to assure the two, "I think she'll probably be fine. Even if we leave her alone, I'm sure she'll get over what's bothering her."

"Hmm …" Eizen looked to the forest, "I agree. I have a feeling she would be fine if we leave her be. However," Eizen then looked at Eleanor.

"What?" Eleanor felt herself taken aback.

Eizen bluntly stated, "You're not the type of person that would do that."

"No," Rokurou gleefully concurred, "she is not."

"Am I …" Eleanor reluctantly admitted, "really that predictable?"

Rokurou cheekily retorted, "Oh, yes."

"Well …" A blush formed on Eleanor's face as she attempted to brush it off, "It's not like I wouldn't want her to have personal space. I'm fine with leaving her alone for now, but I do kinda feel like we should I don't know … do something later? It feels like that would be the right thing to do. Get what I mean?"

"You can calm down." Eizen spoke up, "We're not saying that it's a bad thing. You did refuse to abandon Velvet during the Innominat Incident in the Earth Pulse, and it ended up being a good thing you and Laphicet didn't."

"Okay …" Eleanor shook her head, "Enough about that Earth Pulse. You got any actual suggestions. I'd be really open to anything."

"Wouldn't you know?" Rokurou stated, "You two have been inseparable since we got here."

Eizen remarked, "We know you two have gone out at night."

"What?" Eleanor said surprised as her eyes widened.

"You think we didn't notice you and Velvet sneaking off on your own last night." Rokurou cheekily stated.

"To train!" Eleanor indignantly exclaimed, "We were dueling last night!"

"Still though …" Rokurou grinned as he said, "Sounds like you two have been having a lot of fun." 

"It's …" Eleanor didn't bother protesting, "Okay it's been fun, but don't make it sound like something else."

"What else could you be talking about?" The three of them heard a familiar voice. It was none other than Laphicet who had come back.

Eizen and Rokurou simultaneously replied, "Um …"

Eleanor knelt in front of the young Malak as she assured him, "It's nothing you need to worry about, Laphicet."

Laphicet tilted his head as he asked, "Are you sure?"

"Indeed she is." Magilou stepped forward as she told the young Malak, "Our crude, Eizen and Rokurou are merely teasing our dear, sweet Exorcist over how close she and Velvet have become over these past few weeks and how they've spent a lot of time together since we arrived." Magilou patted Eleanor as she said, "She's just feeling a little embarrassed." 

"Oh. She is?" Laphicet curiously inquired and he turned away from Eleanor to look at Magilou, "Why should she be embarrassed? I love how close they've become. I like them a lot better like this."

"Mmm …" Eleanor stood up and crossed her arms. She was not a fan of how this was going.

Magilou held up her right pointer finger as she said, "We all do, kiddo. We all do. Right now despite how close she's become, Eleanor is at a bit of a crossroads about what she can or can't do to help our 'poor' Velvet."

"Oh, I see." Laphicet nodded, "I think I'm starting to get it now."

Eleanor loudly cleared her throat which attracted both Magilou and Laphicet's attention, "As much as I appreciate your assistance, Magilou you don't have to talk as if I'm not here."

"Oh." Magilou playfully grinned, "Silly me. What was I thinking?"

"Seriously …" Eleanor rubbed her head and groaned.

"Are you having trouble with Velvet?" Laphicet asked, "Is that why you didn't go after her?"

"Not exactly …" Eleanor shook her head.

Laphicet offered, "If it'd help, I could try talking to Velvet."

Eleanor asked, "You'd do that?"

"Yeah. I mean I could." Laphicet stated, "Velvet and I have talked about things before, so she might talk to me."

"Hmm …" Eleanor replied, "Well … That's true …"

"However," Laphicet suggested, "I think it'd be better if you talked to her."

Eleanor asked, "Do you think so? You've been pretty good at talking to her before."

"I guess, but I think you might be better here." Laphicet encouraged Eleanor.

"Do you really think that?" Eleanor asked.

"Yes." Laphicet nodded, as he said, "I just feel that you would be the better choice than me for this. That's what I think."

"Heh." Rokurou put both hands on his hips as he let out a laugh. "Hard to argue with that. The kid's got good instincts."

Eizen had his arms crossed as he concurred, "I'm inclined to agree. He may be young but he's proven to have good judgment."

Magilou held up her pointer finger and proclaimed to the Exorcist, "There you have it, my dear Exorcist. Even Laphicet thinks you're more suited to talk to our Lord of Calamity."

Eleanor sighed as she reluctantly agreed, "I'll talk to Velvet. I was going to but I … I wasn't exactly sure what to say … or when to say it."

Laphicet advise Eleanor, "Just ask her what's wrong."

"If it was anyone else, maybe." Eleanor looked in the direction she went as she said, "You know how hardheaded she can be."'

"That used to be true, but, "Laphicet shook his head, "I don't think it's so hard anymore. I think you helped with that."

"…" Eleanor was not sure how to respond.

Magilou encouraged Laphicet, "That's it Kiddo. Keep buttering her up."

Laphicet replied, "I'm just telling her the truth."

"I know. I know." Magilou grinned as she told the young Malak, "She just needs to hear more of that good stuff."

Eleanor looked at Magilou as she requested, "Could you 'please' back off?"

"Heh." Magilou chuckled as she put her hands behind her head and said, "All right. I know when I'm not wanted."

"Do you?" Rokurou asked in a deadpan tone.

"Meh." Magilou shrugged and made her exit.

On that note, Eizen remarked, "We should probably go too."

"Yeah. No point in us sticking around." Rokurou stated as both he and Eizen walked away.

With only Eleanor and Laphicet remaining, Eleanor looked to the young Malak and said, "All right, Laphicet. I'll give it my best shot."

Laphicet excitedly exclaimed, "Great!"

Before Eleanor left, she asked, "Any other ideas on what I should say to her? I'm open to suggestions."

"Hmm …" Laphicet crossed his arms as he tilted his head, "Maybe you should wait to see if she says anything first."

Eleanor pointed to herself as she asked, "Do you want me to improvise?"

"Um …" Laphicet tilted his head again as he replied, "I guess …"

Eleanor grimaced as she lamented, "That's not exactly my specialty. I kinda blew it when Magilou wanted me to do that."

"But that for a show Magilou wanted you to do." Laphicet assured Eleanor, "I think you'll do a lot better with this. Because this is something you 'need' to do."

"I hope you're right." Eleanor stood tall and took a deep breath. "Might as well give it a shot."

Laphicet stated, "I'll be rooting for you 

"Thanks …" Eleanor then began walking in the direction of where she knew Velvet would be.

As Eleanor walked away, Laphicet continued to show his support, "I know you can do this."

/

As Eleanor predicted, she found Velvet on the top of the plateau where they had their practice duels last night. Velvet was sitting on top of the protruding rock. Her legs were crossed as she stared up into the starry night sky. Velvet appeared to be at peace as she sat there. Eleanor was reluctant to disturb her. At the moment, Eleanor kept a sizable distance from Velvet which prevented Eleanor from hearing her.

Velvet felt a gust of wind blow through her hair. She looked as if she had received an answer from above. She took the gust as a sign as she softly said to herself, "Well Laphi, Arthur … It won't' be much longer now. The Daemon the two of you created will be the one to end everything you began. I suppose that is what you call 'irony'. Velvet looked at her bandaged arm as she told herself, out loud, "Just a little more …" Velvet clenched her fingers into a fist as she repeated, "Just a little more … That's all …"

"Velvet." A familiar voice called out to her. Velvet looked to see it was Eleanor approaching her. Velvet couldn't' help but feel a smile spread across her face at the new arrival. As the young Exorcist approached the Lord of Calamity, Velvet calmly remarked, "You have arrived. I knew you'd come sooner or later."

Eleanor rhetorically asked, "Was that obvious to you?"

"Not exactly." Velvet grinned as she remained sitting on the rock, "I've always wanted to say that."

"..." Eleanor was not sure if she should feel amused or not.

"But seriously I did have a feeling you'd come here." Velvet stood up as she looked at Eleanor.

"Since you didn't go back to the ship, I figured this might've been the best place to look for you." Eleanor replied. 

"Heh." Velvet chuckled as she remarked, "You know … I always find it amazing how you've changed, but in other ways you haven't changed at all." When Eleanor looked like she was about to say something, Velvet told her, "You always worry about others. That's how you've always been. You're even worried about me."

"Of course I'm worried about you." Eleanor protested, "We're friends now aren't we?"

"Friends?" Velvet absentmindedly asked out loud, "When did that happen? It feels like it wasn't that long ago that …"

"…" Eleanor looked down as she placed her hand on her chest.

"You know what. That doesn't matter anymore." Velvet smiled as she told Eleanor, "We are friends now." Upon hearing that, Eleanor's face brightened up.

Velvet then said, "I know you well enough to know you're predicable." Eleanor wasn't quite sure what to make of that as Velvet continued, "You care about everyone you meet. It doesn't matter if they're a stranger or a friend. You'll help them because you care."

Eleanor lightly tugged at the end of her hair as she asked, "Is that a problem?"

Velvet shook her head. "No. Despite what's happened to you, you still care about people. I've always found that to be quite … **admirable**."

"…" Eleanor was at first at a loss for words before she said, "You care about people too, Velvet."

Velvet glanced at Eleanor as she shook her head, "Not like you." Before Eleanor could say a word, Velvet said, "I should've just pointed my blade at Rokurou …" Velvet's bandaged arm flexed as she stated, "I shouldn't have activated my arm. I don't know why I did it, but it felt like …" Velvet looked down at her bandaged arm as she finished, "… instinct."

Eleanor suggested, "Was it because you were fighting another Daemon?" There was no contempt in the Exorcist's voice as she made that suggestion.

"Maybe …" Velvet rubbed her forehead as she sighed, "I'm not sure. When I was fighting Rokurou …" Velvet held up her bandaged arm, "it was only for a moment, but I almost forgot. I didn't remind myself to hold back my arm like I did with you …"

"Hold on …" Eleanor cut herself off to ask, "Don't you feel bad about that? You do don't you?"

"I didn't do anything to Rokurou …" Velvet began sounding defensive before then admitting, "But I wasn't thrilled that I seemed like I was about to eat an ally. I would never do that. After all, he has been on my side ever since we escaped Titania."

"…" Eleanor did not have much to say in response.

"Anyway, I'll apologize to him again, but," Velvet chuckled as she said, "he'll probably laugh it off like he did before and say it's not a big deal."

Eleanor chuckled, "He'll probably joke about how he never thought he'd hear an apology from you."

"Heh … Yeah." Velvet grinned as she and Eleanor laughed at that idea.

Eleanor's voice was sincere as she told Velvet, "But seriously, he is worried about you. Everyone was worried about you. Eizen was. Definitely Laphicet. Even Magilou seemed worried in her own 'Magilou' way."

Velvet shrugged, "I wouldn't have it any other way." She then remarked, "Of course. It wouldn't be the first time I caused a problem. They're probably worried I'd cause another one."

"Don't think about that. They were worried about you." Eleanor said.

"Well …" Velvet stated, "I promise I won't do the same thing I did at the Earth Pulse."

"That's good, but I have an idea." Eleanor suggested, "Maybe you can tell them that you're all right, but you can also tell Rokurou that he won't' have a chance at getting a win off you."

"Win …" Velvet repeated, "Yeah … That's a good one …"

"Something wrong?" Eleanor asked as she tilted her head.

"No …" Velvet stated, "I'm just thinking about how you really do care for everyone."

"It wasn't …" Eleanor decided to cut herself off before then telling Velvet, "I still remember that day back when I became Laphicet's vessel." Eleanor stated, "I remember how you were carrying him. You were so desperate to save him when he was on the verge of death. You were so worried about him that you didn't even notice me until I made my presence known."

"…" Velvet remained silent.

"You weren't worried about him because you could use him as tool to fight the Abbey." Eleanor rationalized, "If you did, you would've abandoned him after you failed to kill Artorius. You were worried about him because you cared for him. Back then, I had a hard time grasping the concept of a Daemon caring about a Malak."

"Hmm …" Was Velvet's only response to Eleanor which allowed her to continue.

"I had basically been hunting you ever since the incident at Hellawes Port." Eleanor looked down as she told Velvet, "I had seen the destruction you caused, but then I saw you care about a young Malak. I just couldn't understand what I was seeing." Eleanor looked up as she then said, "However, I also saw that young Malak was suffering horribly. I couldn't stand by and let him die. That's why I stepped in. After you defeated me and made me part of your group, I saw that despite your rough exterior, you genuinely did care for Laphicet. After a while, I saw that you also care for others as well."

"You know what …" Velvet crossed her arms as she told Eleanor, "Sometimes you give me too much credit."

Eleanor shot back, "You don't give yourself enough, so I'd like to say we balance each other out."

"Hmph." Velvet smiled as she conceded, "Okay we'll go with that." She then sighed as she sat back on the rock.

"Velvet …" Eleanor walked over to Velvet and knelt next to her as she said, "I know this isn't your specialty, but please tell me what's wrong. I am worried about you and so is everyone else. I know something is bothering you, and I don't want it to hurt you."

"…" Velvet looked Eleanor in the eyes before saying, "You know that comment you made … about normal people …"

As soon as Eleanor heard that, her eyes widened. She stood up and quickly interrupted Velvet as she quickly spoke, "I didn't mean to hurt you by saying that. I didn't hurt you did I?" Eleanor bowed as she said, "I'm so sorry for that!"

"No," Velvet seemed amused by Eleanor quick apology as she told the Exorcist, "but it reminded me of something Phi said to me."

Eleanor looked up as she awkwardly replied, "Oh …"

"I know you eavesdropped on some of our conversation back in Meirchio." Velvet inquired, "What did you hear?"

"Well …" Eleanor reluctantly replied, "I did hear you crying … That you're willing to put yourself in the grave, but you're afraid you might be dragging others with you."

"Hmm …" Velvet nodded her head before then stating, "Before that, Phi was talking to me about how his silver flames might change me and others back to human just like he turned Aifread back before he died."

"Yes." Eleanor stated, "I recall hearing him talk about his flames with Magilou. Then she tried charging him for it."

"That little …" Velvet cut herself off with a groan as she rubbed her forehead, "Ugh … I'll deal with that Witch later." As soon as Velvet, said that the 'Witch' sneezed with a slight feeling of dread surrounding her.

"Don't worry about that, Velvet. I took care of it." Eleanor assured the angry Therion.

"Did you?" Velvet asked to see Eleanor nod in response. "Fine then."

Eleanor inquired, "If Laphicet did free you from being a Therion, that'd be a good thing, right? You'd be free. You could live a normal life again."

"…" Velvet appeared to be thinking as she continued sitting on the rock before looking up and asking Eleanor, "Do you think I'd be able to see him?"

Eleanor tilted her head as she asked, "What?"

Velvet explained, "Before this happened, I couldn't see Malakhim. It was only after I was cursed that I could."

"I'd …" Eleanor was not sure about the answer, "I'd like to think so. He is the reincarnation of your nephew after all."

"Unborn nephew …" Velvet sorrowfully corrected Eleanor. Her smile had disappeared.

"…" Eleanor knew she couldn't correct Velvet on this matter.

"It doesn't matter if he's my nephew or not." Velvet pointed out, "I couldn't see my reincarnated sister before I was turned into a Therion. What does that tell you?"

"…" Eleanor did not have much to say in response.

"Sorry." Velvet shook her head. "I didn't mean to get short with you."

"It's … okay." Eleanor hesitantly reassured Velvet.

Velvet pulled her legs up and her arms circled around them as she told Eleanor, "Phi was supposed to be my Nephew, but he never got the chance to live life as a human like I did. That is …" Velvet shook her head. "Never mind. I'd like to think after everything that's happened, I'd be able to see him."

"Anything else you'd like to tell me?" Eleanor made sure she was eye level with Velvet as she put her hand on Velvet's shoulder and told her, "I'm here for you."

"Yeah …" Velvet released her legs as she told Eleanor, "It's something I've never told anyone else. Not even Phi."

Eleanor felt strange when she heard Velvet say that. She felt light headed for a moment. Velvet hadn't revealed it, but she felt as if she needed to be ready when asked, "What is it?"

Velvet held up her bandaged left arm as she told Eleanor, "It's something that I can remember just as clearly as when it happened."

"I …" Eleanor did her best to say, "I'm listening …"

"Eleanor?" Velvet looked at her bandaged arm as she asked, "What do you think my left arm would look like if Phi was able to purify my arm and make me human again?"

"Well …" Eleanor hesitated before answering, "… it'd go back to what it used to be, right?"

"Probably." Velvet held up her bandaged left arm as she said, "Would that mean I'd lose my left hand again?"

Eleanor's eyes widened as she involuntarily backed away. "What?"

"This arm …" Velvet held up her bandaged arm, "This isn't the arm I was born with."

"Wha …" Eleanor took a moment to process what Velvet was saying when she asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Velvet sighed before she attempted to explain, "This is a new arm. It's not the same arm I had when I was a human."

"I'm …" Eleanor shook her head as lines began to form on her forehead, "I'm not sure I follow … How can 'that' not be your arm? Are you saying you lost your arm?"

"…" Velvet took a breath before solemnly answering, "Yes …"

"What!?" Eleanor backed away as her eyes widened up. "What the hell? How!? Arms can't grow back!"

"Humans can't." Velvet merely stated, "Apparently, Therions are a different story."

"…" Eleanor visibly breathing deeply as she remained silent.

Velvet stated, "The day I lost my arm … was the same day I ceased being human."

"I …" Eleanor wasn't sure what to say.

"You know most of what happened already, but," Velvet stated, "there are a few details I didn't tell you or anyone else … If you'd rather not hear it then …"

Without wasting a moment, Eleanor replied, "I'll listen!"

"Are you sure?" Velvet asked before adding, "You should know it's not a pleasant story."

"I've come to accept that any story involving your past doesn't end well, but I also know talking about it might help." Eleanor ended with, "If listening to you can help you at all, then I'll do it. I don't care what you tell me."

Velvet nodded in resignation, "Very well. Then I'll begin." Velvet held up her arm again, she told Eleanor, "Just before I was turned into a Therion, my left hand was cut off." Velvet gripped her hand which caused her nails to dig into her bandages. "I can still feel the blade cutting through me …"

"I …" Even though Velvet only just began describing the details, Eleanor's mind was racing with varying thoughts as she attempted to ask the right question, "What exactly happened? Who did that to you?"

"Artorius." Velvet bitterly replied.

"…" Eleanor bit her lip to prevent herself from saying something else.

Velvet retold Eleanor the story, "While he was sacrificing Laphi, he used his power to restrain me. After I broke out, I was able to catch Laphi before he fell into that pit you saw back in Aball. Do you remember that pit back there?"

"… Yeah …" Eleanor thought back to the ruins on the outskirts of Aball. The same one housed Innominat before it was awakened. "The one that looked like a bottomless pit." Eleanor shivered at the thought. "I could never forget that. When I looked down there, the first thing I could think about was how if I fell down there, there was no way I'd ever get out."

"Well … After I caught Laphi, I was barely able to hold onto the edge with my left hand." Velvet held her bandaged left arm with her right hand as she recalled every detail of that night, "I was so desperate. Everything was moving so fast. I could barely keep my grip. If I continued to hold on, I was going to fall with Laphi. My mind couldn't register any option I could use until Artorius was standing above me."

"…" Eleanor didn't say a word, but she could feel her heart racing as she continued to listen. She did her best to keep her breathing controlled as she listened to every detail.

Velvet looked up to the sky as she told Eleanor, "When he stood there, he just looked at me. The eyes he was looking at me with were not the eyes of the man I had known for nearly my entire life. Arthur was gone. He was someone different from the man I was speaking with earlier that day. The man I had known was gone, but my mind still couldn't process that at the time even after I had seen him stab Laphi in the chest."

"…" Eleanor could not bring herself to say a word as she continued to listen.

Velvet looked down as she gripped her left wrist as she spoke, "I begged Arthur … Artorius to stop this. To help me. He responded by cutting off my hand. He cut right thought the bone, and I ended up falling into the pit with Laphi. When I thought I was about to die, I came face-to-face with Innominat."

"!" Eleanor's eyes were as wide as ever as her hand covered her mouth.

Velvet's face was becoming more visibly pained as she gritted her teeth and forced herself to finish the story, "I saw Laphi get eaten by what I thought was monster. I didn't know it at the time, but it was Innominat accepting the sacrifice and fused with Laphi. I must've caught his attention since he turned me into a Therion. I'm sure you can guess what happened after that."

"…" Eleanor took a moment to process the story that Velvet had told her before she muttered, "… heartless."

Velvet raised an eyebrow, "What was that?"

"So heartless …" Eleanor fingers dug into her hand and her arms began shake as she attempted to coherently speak, "… I … I know what he's done … but … but we saw that memory … Back in the Earth Pulse. He made a promise to L … your little brother. Your little brother wanted you to live a good life in a better world. He agreed to be the sacrifice so it could happen. Then, Artorius cuts off your hand and left you to die?" Her voice was filled with bitterness as she said, "He and Innominat really did make you into what you are now."

"…" It was Velvet's turn to be stunned into silence as her mouth was slightly agape. "Wha …" Before Velvet could react, Eleanor was next to her, and the Exorcist's arms had encircled around the Therion's body. It took Velvet a moment to realize that Eleanor was hugging her. Eleanor was 'hugging' her. "Wha …" Velvet could barely voice her disbelief.

"Velvet …" Eleanor remained hugging Velvet as she firmly stated, "You're not alone. You're not the only one to blame for what's happened. If I were to do it all over again, I'd be happy ending up on your side again. I can't … I wouldn't want to imagine what I'd be like if I stayed with the Abbey. I know I already told you this before, but you and Laphicet changed my life. You allowed me to choose my path. I'm going to stick to it because I want to. Not because I was made to. I truly do have no regrets."

"Eleanor I …" Velvet attempted to return to hug, but her hand stopped. She found herself unable to reciprocate the gesture.

Before Velvet could do anything, Eleanor broke off the hug as she stated, "We're going to make Artorius and Innominat regret what they've done. They messed with the wrong people, and we're going to teach them a lesson."

"Heh …" Velvet couldn't help but chuckle as she replied, "I'm still a little surprised to hear you say that. When we first met, that'd be the last thing you'd ever say."

Eleanor stood up with her hands on her waist as she remarked, "Well a lot has changed, and I'm not the same naïve 'crybaby' you knew."

"I don't know." Velvet smirked as she teased the Exorcist, "You're still a little bit of a 'crybaby' sometimes."

Eleanor lightly punched Velvet's arm as she protested, "Hey …"

"Still as easy as ever." Velvet smiled as she told Eleanor, "But you have changed."

Eleanor stood straight and looked away as she replied, "So have you."

"…" Velvet looked down.

Eleanor inquired once again, "Something wrong?"

Velvet had a sad smile on her face as she told Eleanor, "You know … I did want to see the world. I wanted to see what it was like, but doing that was never an option for me … Especially after my sister died."

Eleanor uneasily replied, "I … I see."

"Despite that," Velvet looked up as she told Eleanor, "I loved Laphi. I never hated him for being sick. Nor did I ever wish he would die. I wanted him to live. I wanted the two of us to travel the world together. Both of us …"

"Of course you would, Velvet." Eleanor assured Velvet, "I would never believe that you'd want something horrible to happen to La- your brother. I know you loved him very much. I saw how you were in the Dream Aball. He was your world. I know it couldn't have been easy seeing … what we saw in Titania or in the Earth Pulse, but I know you loved him. You still do."

"…" Velvet then felt the need to tell Eleanor, "You know … Did I ever tell you that my parents actually moved to Aball?"

Eleanor replied, "No."

"I figured …" Velvet told Eleanor, "Anyway, they died when I was young. I don't really have any memories of them. Celica was the one who actually raised me and Laphi."

"…" Eleanor waited to hear what Velvet had to say next.

"I didn't get to know my parents, but Niko's family was nice to me. That's how we became friends." Velvet seemed to have a hard time swallowing as she told Eleanor, "Her corpse was one of the last things I remember seeing that night … I killed her …"

"…" Eleanor sorrowfully remained silent.

"She had been turned into a Daemon … I had been turned into a Therion." Velvet held up her bandaged arm as she told Eleanor, "I grabbed her body with this arm, and I crushed her into the ground. I didn't even know it was her until after she was dead … Until they were all dead …"

"That was not on you, Velvet." Eleanor told her friend.

"I still see it, Eleanor." Velvet stated as she looked down, "I can still see it … Her lifeless eyes … Horrified expression … The same person I had talked to just hours before …"

"You can't blame yourself for what happened to your village." Eleanor did her best to sand her ground as she told the Lord of Calamity, "You are too hard on yourself, Velvet. I told you before our fight with the Legates. All of us have a responsible for the state our world is in. You may've done some bad things, but so has Artorius and the entire Abbey. Not to mention what-"

Velvet looked up, "What?"

"None of this would've happened if those bandits hadn't attacked your village." Eleanor bitterly remarked, "Those selfish bastards."

"Don't you mean if those villagers didn't stab my family in the back, too?" Velvet rhetorically asked.

"That too, but I …" Eleanor groaned as she said, "Yeah … This too … I'm sorry."

Velvet assured Eleanor, "Don't be. We can't change the past. We might as well move forward, right?"

Eleanor nodded, "You're right …"

"You know …" Velvet looked up as she stared at the stars, "Looking up there sometimes does help me feel better …"

"Hmm …" Eleanor decided to take her seat right behind Velvet and looked up at the stars again like they did the previous night. Their backs were to each other as she commented, "I can see why you sometimes like sleeping outside …"

"It helps put me at ease …" Velvet stated.

"It is a nice sight to look at." Eleanor said as she marveled at the stars above.

Velvet merely said, "Yeah …"

"Do you mind if we stay like this …" Eleanor's back leaned against Velvet's as she asked, "for a little while?"

"Of course not." Velvet looked up at the stars.

/

They continued to look up and stare at the stars longer than they thought they would. They couldn't say how much time passed before Eleanor decided to speak again. Eleanor began to say, "Anyway, Velvet …"

"Yes?" Velvet asked.

"This may sound weird, but …" Eleanor hesitantly told Velvet, "even when this is over. I'll do what I can to support you."

"What?" Velvet looked over her shoulder to see Eleanor still looking away from her.

Eleanor looked forward as she told Velvet, "I said I'll support you when this is over. If you need to travel, I'll travel with you. While doing that, I'll do what I can to help this world not need Exorcists anymore."

"I …" Velvet began to say.

"Velvet …" Eleanor interrupted Velvet as she told her, "I want you to take your chances with Laphicet using the silver flame on you."

"What?" Velvet turned around when she asked.

"You heard me." Eleanor turned around to face Velvet. "When you kill Artorius and defeat Innominat, you won't need to be a Therion anymore, right? You won't need those powers anymore, right? Can't you just go back to being a human again?"

"I …" Velvet looked down as she found herself unable to provide an answer.

"If you want to remain a Daemon forever, that's fine with me, but if you could, would you want to be human again?" Eleanor asked.

"I …" Velvet looked away as she told Eleanor, "I never thought about it … Until recently, I didn't even think it was an option."

"Well now it is, so could you please think about it?" Eleanor asked.

"…" Velvet didn't say a word.

"If you end up losing your hand, I would do what I can to help you." Eleanor declared, "It might be hard for you to learn how to fight with one hand, but I would help you do it. I'm sure even Rokurou would be willing to help you. If you're in danger, I'll do whatever I can to protect both you and Laphicet."

"You …" Velvet asked in astonishment, "You really mean that, don't you?" Even though Velvet asked it as a question, she knew what the answer was.

"Of course I do." While Eleanor stood up and circled around the rock, so she could face Velvet again, she told Velvet, "I would never lie about something like this." Eleanor knelt down to be eye level with Velvet and told her, "I know I can't take Niko's place. I can't be your childhood friend who was there for you through thick and thin, but I can do my best to help you. That I can promise."

"…" Velvet slowly began to raise both her hands, but then she stopped herself. She only raised her human looking arm and placed it on Eleanor's shoulder. "You're right." Velvet looked Eleanor in the eyes and said, "No one can replace Niko, but no one can replace you either."

"Ah …" Eleanor's eyes widened when she heard Velvet's words. She was at a complete loss for them herself.

"If you say you'd be willing to do something for me, I know you'll do it, but," Velvet stood up from the rock as she told Eleanor, "I don't think I'd ask Phi to use his flames on me."

"What?" Eleanor felt completely dumbfounded as she asked, "Why not?"

"Something tells me … it might not work." Velvet placed her hand on her chest as she told Eleanor, "When that happened, I felt my humanity leave me both literally and figuratively."

"…" Eleanor wasn't sure how to respond.

"On the day I tasted an apple for the first time in three years, I felt that confirmed it to me." Velvet had her back to Eleanor as she told her, "I can still vaguely recall what an apple is supposed to taste like. They were always delicious, but I can't taste anything but blood. I knew for three years that I had become a Daemon, but I felt like when I tired eating that apple that made it clear to me I could never be who I used to be. I told myself I could never desire a life as a human again. Some things … reminded me of that." Velvet turned around to look at Eleanor as she said, "I've enjoyed myself these past few days. They've been the most fun I've had since before that night. Unfortunately, it doesn't change the fact I'm not human anymore."

"But Laphicet's flame …" Eleanor attempted to protest, "It can change Daemon's back to people. We've seen it happen. Couldn't it do the same to you?"

Velvet shook her head, "I … I wouldn't be too sure. Aifread and I may have been forced to become Daemons, but I embraced it. Melchior mind-controlled Aifread while I willing embraced my powers because it's the only way I'll ever be able to achieve my goals. I don't think Phi's power would be able to make me human again."

Eleanor looked down as she sadly replied, "Velvet …"

"Don't be sad." Velvet looked away again as she assured Eleanor, "Being a Daemon has its advantages just like staying human has its own advantages. I want you to remain human, Eleanor. So you can be happy."

"But you deserve to be happy too." Eleanor protested.

"Ever since that day." Velvet gripped her hand into a fist again as she told her friend, "I've desired nothing more than getting my revenge on Artorius. I still feel this way."

"I …" Eleanor began to say.

Velvet turned around and told the Eleanor, "I didn't tell you this story to pity me. Only so you would understand. But I also know that these powers also cause me to do things …"

Eleanor softly said, "Velvet … I appreciate all you've told me, but something tells me that … You're not telling me the whole story. I feel like there's something else that's missing."

Velvet turned away as she said, "I think that's all I'm going to say, Eleanor. Isn't what I told you already enough."

"No!" Eleanor proclaimed which caught Velvet off-guard. "Not this time! Normally, it would, and I would want to respect your privacy, but something tells me that this is different. I can't just leave this feeling alone."

"…" Velvet remained silent.

"If you're not going to tell me," Eleanor offered, "how about I challenge you to a duel for it?"

Velvet turned her body as she raised an eyebrow, "What? Are you serious?"

Eleanor looked Velvet in the eyes as she declared, "Dead serious. If I win, I want you to tell me the rest."

Velvet asked, "If I win?"

Eleanor told Velvet, "You can decide."

"Wow." Velvet seemed impressed as she asked Eleanor, "You want to know that badly?

Eleanor remained adamant, "Yes!"

Velvet briefly closed her eyes as she said, "Very well." Velvet then reopened her eyes, "Challenge accepted!"

"Good." Eleanor seemed rather pleased.

"Are you sure you're okay fighting me?" Velvet held up her hand, "You're not worried I might eat you?'

Eleanor shook her head, "Not even a little."

Velvet grinned as she told the Exorcist, "… Man you really are a piece of work."

"As they say, it take one to know one." Eleanor held up her hand as she told Velvet, "Don't forget, your promise."

"…" Velvet looked at Eleanor's hand for a second before reaching out and grabbing it, "I won't …"

"Great!" Eleanor told Velvet before she left, "Be ready for tomorrow!"

When Eleanor left Velvet she said to herself, "All the more reason I need to make sure I win. Sorry, Eleanor."

/

 **Author Notes** : We are getting closer to the finale of this story. Next time will be the final duel between Eleanor and Velvet. What will the answer be?

What did everyone thing of the Velvet vs. Rokurou fight? I thought it was interesting that Velvet doesn't actually fight Rokurou in gameplay, but she does fight him briefly in a cutscene, so I decided to expand on that idea. Rokurou enjoys fighting, so I could picture him wanting to challenge Velvet to a fight for fun.

I figured that Velvet would accidently activate her Daemon powers due to her fighting a fellow Daemon in comparison to Eleanor who she has had a history of holding back her Daemon power when they fought in the past. While I didn't mention Velvet accidentally killing Oscar and Theresa, she is still haunted by their deaths, but I think she would be especially haunted by Niko's death since she was the first one she killed after being turned into a Therion. That would especially be true since Niko was her best friend.

I hope you will all be looking to the final duel between Velvet and Eleanor in the penultimate chapter of this story. Please be sure to leave a review and see you next time.


	7. Spoken Words

**Author Notes** : The penultimate chapter of "Spoken & Unspoken Words" is available for your reading pleasure. It is time for the final duel between the Velvet and Eleanor. What will the final answer be? Will Eleanor get her answers or will Velvet keep her secrets?

I hope you will enjoy what you read and please provide feedback because it is always appreciated.

/

Spoken & Unspoken Words

Chapter Seven – Spoken Words

/

Everyone has secrets

Try not to hide everything

Even if some must stay

/

After Eleanor and Velvet returned from the plateau, the resident witch of their entourage wished to know the details of what had happened. She decided her best bet was to seek out the Exorcist. As the Witch predicted, the Exorcist was willing to give her details. However, they were the details she did not expect.

Magilou rubbed her forehead as he asked, "So explain this to me in a way I can understand because based on what you've told me, this all started out as a heart-to-heart, right?"

Eleanor merely replied, "Yes."

Magilou then asked in disbelief, "And somehow this turned into a challenge to a duel, right?"

"That about sums it up." Eleanor replied.

Magilou still appeared dumbfounded as she asked, "But how did that happen?"

"I'm curious as well." Bienfu said as he materialized from Magilou's body.

"It was me …" Eleanor sheepishly told Magilou, "I challenged Velvet. It was completely spur of the moment. I um …" Eleanor scratched the back of her head, "I didn't think it through."

Magilou bluntly replied, "I would imagine not."

"Why did you do that?" Bienfu asked, "Haven't you already been having these practice duels?"

"It's not like that." Eleanor shook her head. "This is different. Much different."

"Oh really?" Magilou's curiosity was piqued, "Do tell."

"I'll tell you more after everything is done." Eleanor replied.

/

While Magilou followed Eleanor, Laphicet decided to follow Velvet. Velvet gave Laphicet the same rundown that Eleanor gave Magilou. It ended with Laphicet asking, "You're going to duel Eleanor again tomorrow night?"

Velvet reminded Laphicet, "She challenged me, and I accepted."

"But …" Laphicet felt as dumbfounded as Magilou as he asked, "Why would she do that?"

"Hmm …" Velvet shrugged before suggesting, "We've had some practice duels, and I've won every single one so far. I wouldn't be surprised if Eleanor wanted to get a victory at least one before we leave."

"Really?" Laphicet asked as he tilted his head, "That's all."

Velvet merely told Laphicet, "No one likes to lose Phi. It's only natural. Can you really blame her for wanting to win?"

"Oh …" Laphicet tilted his head as he conceded, "Yeah I guess that's true. I didn't think about that."

"It's fine." Velvet assured Laphicet as she kneeled in front of him, so they could be at eye level. She then patted his head with her 'human' like hand as she assured him, "You don't have anything to worry about."

"Hey! Cut that out!" Laphicet protested as he shook Velvet's hand off.

"You're too easy." Velvet chuckled.

"What about you? Are you feeling better?" Laphicet asked.

"Of course." Velvet smiled as she told Laphicet, "Eleanor helped me with that. I also apologized to Rokurou as well."

"Heh." Laphicet laughed as he rhetorically asked, "I bet he just laughed it off, didn't he?"

Velvet chuckled as she remarked, "You know him so well."

Laphicet laughed as well, "Heh. Yeah."

/

While the combatants were busy speaking to someone else, the two men out were left on their own. They stood on the beach as they spoke to each other. However, they had a strong sense of what was going to happen. They both had plenty of combat experience to figure out what was going on based on how Eleanor and Velvet were when they returned.

Rokurou seemed excited as he remarked, "It seems like the girls are gonna have another duel."

Eizen had his arms crossed as he said, "I wonder how this will turn out."

"Heh." Rokurou grinned as he speculated, "I'm willing to bet that Velvet will win. I don't think Eleanor managed to score a win yet."

"True," Eizen remained calm as he voiced a possible 'dissenting' opinion, "but I wouldn't underestimate Eleanor. She has a strong drive, and she trains constantly."

"That's a fair point," Rokurou then pointed out, "but we also know just how likely someone you favor would actually win."

"…" Eizen's arms remained crossed as he didn't offer a response.

Rokurou grinned as he asked, "How about it? Wanna get a front row seat to the action?"

Eizen waved off the suggestion, "I'll pass.

"What?" Rokurou voiced his disappointment, "Why?"

Eizen firmly stated, "This is a duel between Eleanor and Velvet, and I doubt we're invited to it. It would be for the best if we leave it at that. Besides, they wouldn't like it if we barged in on their duel, and we wouldn't like it if we piss them off."

"That is …" Rokurou reluctantly conceded, "also a good point."

Eizen then said, "We'll just have to find out for ourselves how this duel turns out."

Rokurou sighed, "That's kinda boring, but I guess we don't have much choice."

/

The following day went by smoothly. Everyone enjoyed their time on the beach. Eleanor and Velvet went swimming with Phi while everyone else did their own thing. After dinner had been eaten and stars covered the sky, Eleanor and Velvet headed toward their duel and no one decided to follow them. It was just be the two of them.

As they were getting ready to fight, Velvet questioned, "When you challenged me, you didn't say what I would get. You left it up to me. Why did you do that?"

Eleanor replied, "Because I trust you."

"…" Velvet was silent.

Eleanor clarified, "I trust you wouldn't make me do anything unreasonable. Besides," Eleanor chuckled as she admitted, "I really couldn't think of anything. I'm already technically your servant, aren't I?"

"Heh. Very true." Velvet then asked, "Then I could ask for anything else?"

"Yes." Eleanor nodded, "Whatever you have to say, I'll do it."

"In that case," Velvet took a moment before she stated, "I'm not entirely sure what I would tell you either …"

"Huh?" Eleanor tilted her head, "I didn't expect you to say that."

Velvet grinned as she declared, "I'll think of something after I win."

Eleanor returned that grin, "Well aren't you confident."

Velvet pointed out, "I've won every fight we've had so far."

"That's …" Eleanor attempted to protest only to softly concede, "… true, but," Eleanor held up her spear, "I won't lose this time!"

Velvet crossed her arms, "We'll see about that."

Eleanor swung her spear and pointed at Velvet, "We will."

/

After the duel began, the clashes between Velvet's sword and Eleanor's sphere could be heard ringing on top of the Plateau. The fight waged on for several minutes. Both combatants continued to alternate between blocking and dodging their opponent's strikes. Their continuous swift movements caused both combatants began to sweat. If one these duelists could manage to land a clean blow, it would decide the fight.

Velvet's blade was between the spikes of Eleanor's spear. Both warriors attempted to overpower the other. However, Velvet caused her sword to retract back into her gauntlet as she ducked her way underneath the trajectory of Eleanor's spear. With Velvet's blade to hold her back, the force of Eleanor's strike briefly caused Eleanor to clumsily stumble forward, but a moment it was all Velvet needed.

After Velvet bent her body down to dodge underneath Eleanor's spear, she lifted her arm up with as much force as she could muster. It was all or nothing.

Before Eleanor could react, she felt something strong and familiar stop her in her tacks that caused her gasp for air. Once again, Eleanor's stomach had become a punching bag for Velvet's fist. Eleanor could feel Velvet's fist dig into her stomach until Eleanor's grip on her spear began to loosen. Try as she might, she eventually lost her grip, and the spear dropped to the side with a 'clank' as her body went limp.

When it seemed like her body was about to fall to the ground, Eleanor felt something grab her. It took Eleanor a moment to realize it was Velvet gently lowering her body to the rocky ground. She could feel her knees on the rocky surface before Velvet let go. Velvet walked back a few steps and released her sword from the gauntlet.

The Daemon declared, "You lose." Velvet turned her back on her opponent and began to walk away. "You fought well, Eleanor, but you still …"

As Velvet was speaking, Eleanor put her hand on her stomach and closed her eyes as she attempted to concentrate. Suddenly, Eleanor bathed her body in light.

"Huh?" Velvet's eyes widened when the light caught the corner of her eye. She turned around to see Eleanor using her spear to push herself up.

Eleanor readied herself for battle as she then repeated the lesson they both had once learned, "'Never let your guard down, even when victorious.'"

Velvet sighed, "You just don't know when to give up." She then grinned as she said, "But whatever makes you happy. Bring it on!"

/

The sound of their clashing weapons could once again be heard on top of the plateau. Once again, Velvet and Eleanor were giving their best to win the duel. They were both giving their all. They both had the drive to win their fight than any of their previous duels. Eleanor wished for Velvet to reveal what was going through her head, and Velvet knew she couldn't reveal them.

Eleanor held her spear with both her hands over hear head as Velvet swung down and hit the pole. Eleanor stood her ground even as Velvet stepped forward to put pressure on her. Eleanor gritted her teeth as she attempted to push back, but it backfired. When she tried to move forward, her feet were being pushed back on the ground until she did her best to stand on her feet on the rocky ground. She could not let Velvet gain any more ground.

This apparent stalemate continued for a few more seconds until Velvet's withdrew her wrist blade. Once again without the opposing force to hold her back, Eleanor's body moved forward much to her dismay.

"Not again!" Eleanor cried out as she quickly figured what was about to happen next.

Before Eleanor could react, Velvet hit into her stomach with her shoulder which caused Eleanor to gasp for air again while her body was forced back.

Before Eleanor could recover, she felt Velvet grip her spear and her shirt. Eleanor felt her feet leave the ground. Before she knew it, her body was over Velvet's body before she was then thrown onto the ground. Eleanor felt her body hit onto the rocky surface as she gasped for air. Upon hitting the ground, Eleanor lost her grip of her spear. She became so winded from Velvet's throw, she couldn't recover enough to stop Velvet's next move.

Eleanor suddenly felt a sharp pressure on her chest which she could see was Velvet's knee while Velvet used her other foot to kick away the spear. The Exorcist could see the Lord of Calamity staring down at her with a grin as she declared, "I win, Eleanor."

"Ugh …" Eleanor laid her head on the rocky ground as she conceded, "Okay … I give up." Eleanor looked to her side as she let out another breath and admitted again, "I lost …" Her voice sounded more solemn as she said, "I lost …"

This seemed to satisfy Velvet as she then said, "Good." Velvet got up from Eleanor. When Eleanor looked again to see Velvet looking down at her. The Lord of Calamity told Eleanor, "You fought well, but you should heal your stomach before it feels worse."

"Ugh …" Eleanor groaned as she sat herself up. She place her hand on her stomach as she remarked, "You really know how to throw a punch … and your shoulder blade … I can't believe you got me again like that."

Velvet shrugged, "Hmph. If we were still enemies, it would've been a lot worse."

"I don't know …" Eleanor rubbed her stomach as she asked, "Are you saying you're holding back the last time you punched me?"

Velvet waved it off, "I was still learning how to control my strength. Humans can be kinda fragile."

"Right …" Eleanor used her arte to heal herself which caused her stomach to instantly feel better.

After Eleanor had finished healing herself, she looked up to see Velvet offering Eleanor her hand. As Velvet pulled Eleanor up from the ground, she praised the Exorcist, "You really have grown strong, Eleanor. You can hold your own, but you can't overpower me. You also need to use your imagination more."

"Imagination …" Eleanor asked, "Is that how you came up with that finisher?"

Velvet replied, "It was a split-second decision. It just came to me. I used your own force against you before, so it made sense."

"I see …" Eleanor jokingly replied, "Then I'm glad I could be of help …"

"Well …" Velvet stated, "While I appreciate that you can be a graceful loser, you don't have to keep being so formal."

Eleanor sheepishly replied, "I can't help it sometimes. Getting defeated is 'humbling', especially after you've lost to the same person almost ten times."

Velvet crossed her arms as she asked, "Would you want me to take it easy on you and lose on purpose?"

"No!" Eleanor shook her head, "It wouldn't be a real victory."

Velvet grinned as she said in a pleased tone, "That's what I wanted to hear."

"And …" Eleanor reluctantly conceded, "As we talked about, I won't ask you about what you're keeping secret."

"Sorry, Eleanor," Velvet stated, "Sometimes people have to keep secrets."

"I understand." Eleanor remarked, "It was wrong of me to challenge you to a duel over them anyway. I was trying to force the issue, and it was very selfish."

Velvet then asked, "So what now?"

"I don't know but …" Eleanor took a breath as she stared up to the sky and stated, "I guess it is up to you …" Eleanor felt like her eyes were locked to the sky. Once again the night sky was a beautiful sight.

"Hmm … I suppose you're right." Velvet decided to follow Eleanor's lead and looked up to the sky again. "It does look good up there …"

"Yeah … It's amazing how many stars you can see up there." Eleanor marveled at the sight above them as she remarked, "This Island is really different from any town we've stayed in."

"Yes …" Velvet continued to look up into the night sky as she said, "Makes me wish I appreciated the night sky more. After I got out …" Velvet felt herself tense up and briefly pause as she clenched her chest before continuing, "I guess I was too busy being fixated on Artorius."

"…" Eleanor took a moment to assure Velvet, "You're appreciating it now. That's what matters now, doesn't it?"

"I suppose …" Velvet didn't sound convinced as she looked up at the sky. While she continued to look up into the night sky, thoughts came rushing to her head again. It caused her to think of her brother and 'Arthur' again. She then thought back to what Magilou had told her earlier. Velvet closed her eyes before reluctantly saying out loud, "Spoken and unspoken words …"

"Hmm?" Eleanor looked over to Velvet who was shaking her head. "What was that?"

Velvet then said out loud, "… Fine. Fine."

That did nothing to make Eleanor understand the situation any better as she tilted her head, "Huh?"

Velvet looked over to Eleanor and said, "About the whole 'Unspoken' words thing … I did want to say something to you, but that wasn't the only thing I wanted to talk to you about."

"What is it?" Eleanor took a step closer.

"Eleanor I …" Velvet cut herself off before then telling Eleanor, "Even when we were enemies, I never hated you."

"Wha …?" Eleanor felt simultaneously dumbfounded and taken aback as she asked, "Really?"

"I'm … very serious." Velvet crossed her arms as she told the Exorcist, "When we met, I remember seeing you cry. You were crying because you couldn't help everyone."

"Yeah … I remember." Eleanor rubbed her forehead as she recalled their first encounter, "You never let me forget it."

"The 'Crybaby Exorcist'." Velvet smiled repeated the nickname she gave Eleanor much to the Exorcist's dismay. Velvet then reminded Eleanor, "Beinfu helped with that too." 

"Yes …" Eleanor sighed as she admitted, "Yes, he did."

"Anyway, I um …" Velvet scratched the back of her head as she told Eleanor, "… those tears …"

"Yes?" Eleanor asked as she stepped closer.

"Well …" Velvet looked Eleanor in the eyes as she told her, "They made me believe you were genuinely trying to do the right thing. You were different form the other exorcists I encountered. Every one of them made me hate them from the moment I met them, but not you." Velvet shook her hand as pointed at Eleanor, "You were different. I … I couldn't bring myself to hate you even though a part of me felt like I should."

"Is …" Eleanor was hesitate to ask, "Is that why you spared me? Is that why you didn't kill me when you could've? You could've killed me at least twice I think …"

"Probably." Velvet then told Eleanor, "I … I honestly didn't feel the urge to go through with it. Knocking you out was enough for me."

"Well whatever your reason was, it worked out pretty well for us that you didn't kill me." Eleanor stated.

Velvet nodded, "Yeah … it did, especially for Phi. I'm sorry about threatening you back then."

Eleanor waved it off, "We were enemies. I couldn't exactly expect a friendly hello. But … since we're on that topic, I'm sorry for what I tried to do to you."

It was Velvet's turn to wave off Eleanor's concern as she assured the Exorcist, "It's fine. You weren't the first person who tried to kill me, and you were far from the last. I've honestly lost count of how many have tried."

"Velvet …" Eleanor wasn't sure what else to say.

"I'm getting off-track here." Velvet shook her head as she stated, "That's not what I wanted to say."

Eleanor curiosity was piqued as she asked, "It isn't?"

Velvet firmly stated, "No."

Eleanor instinctively stepped closer, "Then what is it?"

"I …" Velvet hesitantly spoke, "I don't … I don't know how to say it … I just …"

"Just try to think about what you want to say, Velvet." Eleanor calmly advised her friend.

Velvet took a breath as then began to ask, "What you told me yesterday … What you said about watching out for me even if I lost an arm, did you mean it?"

Eleanor calmly replied, "Yes."

Velvet repeated herself, "Did 'you' mean it?"

"Of course I did, Velvet." Eleanor emphasized, "I meant every word. If you lost your arm, I would do everything I can to help you, and I know Laphicet would do the same."

"…" Velvet didn't say a word.

Eleanor stepped forward as she emphasized, "Velvet … I really meant it … Do you not believe me?"

"No… I believe …" Velvet looked away as she sadly replied, "I believe every word …"

"Then …" Eleanor put her hand on her chest as she asked, "Did I do something wrong? … Did I upset you?"

"You didn't do anything I just …" Velvet looked away when felt the words were getting stuck in her throat. She found herself unable to continue.

"Velvet …" Eleanor took a step forward and tried to assure Velvet as she said, "If there's something you need to say please tell me … I will do what I can to help."

"I …" Velvet shook her head, "I don't think you can help me."

"Then I'll just listen." Eleanor offered, "If that's all I can do, then I'll listen."

"I … Eleanor I …" Velvet felt the words getting caught in her throat.

"Come on, Velvet." Eleanor encouraged her friend, "You'll feel better once you say it."

"Eleanor … I think I …" Velvet took one more breath before blurting, "I think I like you!"

"W … Wha …" Eleanor's eyes widened greatly as she tried to comprehend what she just heard. "What?"

Velvet looked Eleanor in the eyes and repeated herself calmly and clearly, "I like you Eleanor. I like you more than as a friend. I like you!"

Eleanor felt herself take a step back as she merely replied, "I …"

Velvet replied, "I take it that you're shocked."

Eleanor was blushing as she grabbed her left arm with her right hand, "O … Of course I am. That's the last thing I'd ever expect you to say."

"Me too." Velvet stated, "But … But I do feel that way. I really do."

"…" It was Eleanor's turn to be stunned to silence.

"But … Maybe it was a mistake …" Velvet began to turn away as she said, "Maybe I shouldn't have said anything …"

"I'm …" Velvet stopped when she heard Eleanor trying to speak. Eleanor began to say before then asking, "Why did you say it? Why now?"

Velvet sighed before admitting, "Magilou was bugging me the other day, but she said something about 'unspoken words', and I decided to go along with that."

"So …" Eleanor felt taken aback as she asked, "Did you say that because of what Magilou said?"

"That was just one reason …" Velvet clarified, "It won't be long before we head to the final battle. We may have a few things left to do to prepare and maybe a few other things that need to be taken care of but … I figured I should say it now before I can't."

Eleanor raised an eyebrow as she inquired, "What do you mean you can't?"

"…" Velvet needed a moment to formulate a response. "Look at where we are Eleanor." Velvet spread her arms and motioned to their surroundings, "A remote island without an enemy in sight. These past few days have been the most peaceful for me since before I turned into this." Velvet pointed to her bandaged arm. "If I couldn't tell you something like this now." Velvet's arms were at her sides as she said, "I probably never could say it."

Eleanor seemed to understand where Velvet was coming from as she replied, "I … I see …"

Velvet stated, "I also said it partly because of what you said to me yesterday."

Eleanor asked, "What about it?"

"You know …" Velvet lightly blushed as she stated, "… the way you said that kinda seemed like a marriage proposal."

"Wha …" Eleanor's eyes widened as she asked, "Is that what you've been thinking this whole time?"

Velvet then stated, "Maybe you should think about what you said to me."

"Well I said I would … but then I … Oh my …" Eleanor put her hands on her cheeks as she proclaimed, "That really does sound like a marriage proposal!"

"Heh. Heh." The sound of Velvet chuckling was still unfamiliar to Eleanor. She had to see Velvet with her own eyes to confirm that she was looking at the same person she'd been traveling with. "You're just too easy."

Eleanor realized Velvet was teasing her much to her dismay, "Oh, come on!"

Sorry, but you're too much fun." Velvet reached out with her human hand and grabbed Eleanor's hand. Eleanor blinded as Velvet then held up their hands between them and said, "But what you said meant a lot to me. I've been thinking about you a lot lately. I don't always say it, but I'm grateful to you for a lot of things. In some ways, you do remind me of Niko. You're kind, dependable, a good worker, and you both cared for La …" Velvet stopped herself before then correcting herself, "y … you're both caring. As much as you two are similar, you're not a replacement for her. You're Eleanor Hume."

Eleanor began to say, "Velvet … I …"

Velvet repeated her earlier words with more elegance, "I like you, Eleanor as more than just a friend. I've felt this way for a while now. What you said really struck a chord with me. It made me … I wanted to be selfish. I just wanted to tell you how I felt."

"Velvet …" Eleanor assured Velvet, "telling me your feelings isn't a selfish thing … It's human …"

"Human … I guess I didn't lose all of it. Anyway, I've said what I needed to say." Velvet let go of Eleanor's hand then bowed her head. She said to the Exorcist, "Thank you for listening." Velvet then began to walk away.

"Wait a minute!" Eleanor called out to Velvet who stopped in her tracks, "Aren't you going to ask if I feel the same?"

Velvet asked, "Should I?"

"Traditionally …" Eleanor stated, "I think that's what you're supposed to do. Or at least let them have a chance to give an answer."

Velvet replied, "I didn't think I should."

"Why not?" Eleanor asked in a dumbfounded tone.

Velvet merely stated, "Because I don't think it's right for me to feel this way about you."

"Not right …" Eleanor softly repeated before realizing, "Is … Is that what's been bothering you?" Eleanor felt a strange sense of relief as she asked that.

"A lot of things bother me, Eleanor." Velvet looked down as she admitted, "I couldn't begin to list them all, but yes this might've been one of the biggest."

"Oh …" Eleanor then asked, "Why didn't you want to tell me?"

"Well …" Velvet crossed her arms and looked away, "It's not because I was worried about getting rejected. Far from it." Eleanor couldn't help but feel amused by the display, but she remained silent until Velvet brushed her hand through her hair, "Aside from the fact that we're both girls, we're just not mean for each other."

"What …" Eleanor felt herself taken aback that she asked without thinking, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Do I have to spell it out?" Velvet pointed to herself, "I'm a Daemon." Velvet then pointed to Eleanor, "and you're not only a human, but you're an Exorcist. We're not even supposed to be friends let along lovers. The whole thing is a mess. I … I shouldn't have said anything."

"No." Eleanor shook her head, "I don't care anymore about what normal society expects from anyone because guess what I turned my back on it."

"Wha …" Velvet wasn't sure what Eleanor was about to say to her as she asked, "What are you …?"

Eleanor cut Velvet off as she took a step closer, "You say we shouldn't be friends! Well despite everything that happened, we did become friends, and I'm glad we did! I think you might be my best friend!"

"…" Velvet felt so stunned that words failed her.

"When I joined the Abbey …" Eleanor admitted, "I did become friendly with some people. I got to know a lot of them. I'm sure you could say they were my friends. However, I never became extremely close to them … Ever since my mom died … I have kept a number of people at arm's length … I sometimes still do that, but things changed after you made me part of your team …"

"I kidnapped you." Velvet bluntly reminded Eleanor.

"That was because I pursued you, and I …" Eleanor then felt embarrassed to remind Velvet, "We made a deal, and I lost to you."

"First of many." Velvet cheekily reminded Eleanor.

"Ugh …" Eleanor shook her head, "Anyway, I think the one thing … the one person that brought us together was Laphicet. We both care for him, and he's like our little brother. Even when we didn't get along caring for Laphicet was the one thing we always had in common."

Velvet nodded, "Yes. That's why when I knew you initially planned on betraying us, I believed you wouldn't after seeing what the Abbey had done to Kamoana. I was hoping you wouldn't want Phi to experience the same thing."

"You had that much faith in me?" Eleanor asked.

"I know I said I didn't trust you …" Velvet then said, "but I was hoping you weren't going to just trust Artorius or the Abbey anymore …" Velvet put a finger in her hair and swirled it around as she said, "I wanted to believe that, and I was pleasantly surprised I was right. I was kinda happy when you admitted the truth to us."

"You weren't the only one …" Eleanor admitted, "For a while, I considered going through with it. I almost did when you left the two of us alone, but I changed my mind … In the end, I'm glad you were right … for the both of us …"

"Hmm …" Velvet smiled as she replied, "For all the times I was wrong, I'm happy to know I was right about something. Now I just feel bad about how I then started suspecting you of betraying us later on …"

"Don't be." Eleanor shook her head. "I would've been suspicious of 'me' too."

"Heh … I said it before and I'll say it again. You really are a piece of work, and you still drive me mad." Velvet smiled and chuckled as she said, "You're also hard to disagree with."

Eleanor smiled as she replied, "I'll take that as a compliment."

Velvet remarked, "You should."

Eleanor replied, "I will." Both of the girls laughed before Eleanor then said, "You know there are times I find it weird to hear you laugh."

"Yeah …" Velvet reminded Eleanor, "I remember hearing you say something like that before."

Eleanor lifted her eyebrow, "Hmm?"

"When we were in Aball …" Velvet suddenly felt hesitant before finishing her thought, "that dream, I heard you say how you were surprised I had smiling muscles."

A blush formed on Eleanor's face as she asked, "You heard that?

Velvet nodded, "Yep."

"Well …" Eleanor sheepishly replied, "You were so happy. So different from the 'you' I knew. You were in your own world. I just said it out loud."

Velvet emphasize, "I 'was' in my own world."

"Right …" Eleanor didn't need Velvet to say anymore as she said, "Sorry about that."

Velvet took a breath and sighed, "… It's okay."

"I …" Eleanor scratched the back of her head as she said, "… really keep saying the wrong things don't I?"

Velvet assured Eleanor, "It's fine. I know what you meant and I get it. If I were you, I would've been just as surprised. I'm not exactly the most 'cheerful' or pleasant person."

"That's not exactly …" Eleanor began to say.

"When we were inside that Dream Aball …" Velvet softly admitted, "Seeing … Seeing Laphi, Niko and the other villagers like that … alive … I just … It just brought something out of me I didn't know still existed. I thought it was long buried and died long ago. How wrong I was. Magilou was right. You can fight sadness, but you don't fight happiness."

"But that's not right either." Eleanor replied.

"Hmm?" Velvet looked at Eleanor curiously.

"Velvet." Eleanor told Velvet, "Laphicet told me something when we were in that 'Dream Aball'. He told me how he was so sure the 'you' we saw back there was the 'real' you, and I thought so too. As weird as it was seeing you like that, it also seemed so … um …"

Velvet inquired, "So what?"

Eleanor said the first word that came to her mind, "Natural … I guess. I'm not really sure how to say it, but I feel like the 'you' we saw back there is the 'you' we should've gotten to know a long time ago."

"…" Velvet blinked. "Maybe … in another life."

"?" Eleanor silently tilted her head.

Velvet made sure that Eleanor couldn't see her face as she turned away. "You're not wrong … The way I was in Aball … it was pretty close to how I used to be. I was so happy. Too happy …" Velvet looked away put her right fist on her chest as she confessed, "I … I almost forgot about being in a prison cell for three year or wanting to get revenge. A part of me was starting to think what I saw Ar … Artorius do was some kind of illusion. Although that was kinda the point of that trap."

"Still thought …" Eleanor praised Velvet, "Despite all that deception, I'm amazed you were able to see through it."

Velvet looked at Eleanor as she told the Exorcist, "If Melchior hadn't made that mistake, I probably wouldn't have. I was just so happy. They … They were alive …"

"…" Eleanor didn't say anything as she let Velvet speak.

Velvet looked down as she said, "Laphi was alive, and so was Niko." Velvet closed her eyes as she said, "Seeing Niko alone was almost enough to …"

"Velvet …" Eleanor put her hand on Velvet's shoulder as she assured her, "It's okay to be sad Velvet. Niko was your best friend, right? You grew up together, didn't you?"

"She …" Velvet backed up which caused her to break from Eleanor's contact, "She was just the best. She stuck by me for so much. After Celica died … and whenever Laphi kept getting sick, I could count on her. She was always there for me. She deserved much more than turning into a Daemon and getting killed by me."

"…" Even though Eleanor knew that was what Velvet was getting at, it still felt unnerving to hear Velvet speak of some of the darker moments of her life.

Velvet looked at her bandaged hand as she said, "I … I still remember like it was yesterday. I lost my human hand then my arm had been turned into …" Velvet looked up at Eleanor and said, "what you've always seen. I didn't know what was happening, but my body someone knew I was now able to fight Daemons. When one attacked me, I just grabbed it and slammed it on the ground. I can still remember crushing it between my arm and the ground before blood burst and splashed on my face. It … It was my first time killing a Daemon, and … a human. It wouldn't be the last either."

"…" Eleanor knew it was best to let Velvet continue speaking.

Velvet put her 'human' hand on her head as she retold the story. "Everything happened so fast, so I wasn't sure what the hell was going on. I just wanted to get to Artorius and rip his throat. I just killed all the Daemons that got in my way. After I killed all the Daemons, I could see bodies of the villagers litter the ground. Niko was among them. As much as I hate to think it, I can't help but think she was the first one I killed. Whether she was or not, it doesn't matter. I killed her at some point, and I honestly can't blame her dogs for wanting to rip my throat out."

"Velvet …" Eleanor finally decided to speak up, "They shouldn't blame you. That wasn't your fault."

"I …" Velvet didn't know what to say at that moment.

Eleanor grabbed Velvet's shoulder as she asked, "Tell me Velvet. When you killed her Daemon self, you didn't know it was actually her, right? If you didn't kill her, she would've killed you, right?"

Velvet shook her head, "It doesn't matter. I still killed her … my best friend … Seeing her body on the ground … I see it almost every day. She's one of the few I regret killing."

Eleanor shook Velvet's shoulder as she tried to reason with the Daemon, "It wasn't your fault. She became a Daemon. It was you or her."

Velvet shook her head and briefly closed her eyes before reopening to look at her bandaged left hand. "I just wish I could've done something, but I know it's not right to change the past even if we can. The only thing we should do is move forward."

"Yes. I agree." Eleanor then said, "But it is good to never forget the past though."

"I agree …" Velvet then said, "Talking about it does make me feel better. Just so you know, I'm glad you think I'm your 'best' friend. It feels great knowing that someone else thinks of me like that, but a part of me is …"

"…" Eleanor didn't know if she should respond.

"I won't make that mistake again." Velvet said, "I promise. Thank you for listening." Velvet then turned to leave.

"Wait a minute!" Eleanor exclaimed, "You still didn't ask me if I felt the same! Aren't you going to ask me that?"

"…" Velvet took a moment before turning to face Eleanor. She looked Eleanor in the eyes as she softly and reluctantly asked, "Eleanor … Do you feel the same?"

"You want to know something?" Eleanor smiled as she answered her own question, "I do. I actually do."

"Really?" Velvet asked as she took a step back.

"Yes." Eleanor replied, "Things didn't start off well but that's in the past. I want to focus on the here and now. That's how you want to do things, don't you?"

"…" Velvet didn't reply with anything other than a nod.

"At the same time, I also understand you need to accept the past." Eleanor gave her own passionate speech while Velvet remained quiet, "That's why … I've actually been thinking about you a lot, Velvet. For a lot of reasons. I've thought about how you and I are a lot alike. A lot more than I would've wanted to admit before. I've also thought about how you ended up becoming a slave to the Abbey. You might've done that unintentionally, but I still think about it. Not to mention, you and Rokurou saved me from becoming a Daemon …

"Yeah. Two Daemons saving a human." Velvet mused. "Never would've thought that'd ever happen."

"I'm being serious, Velvet." Eleanor said in protest.

"So am I." Velvet told Eleanor, "Some things I never would've thought could be possible ended up happening because I met you."

"Yes …" Eleanor said, "I've also been thinking about these past few days … I've really enjoyed being with you Velvet outside of all the fighting. Just hanging out and enjoying a vacation with you and the others has been a lot of fun. I wouldn't want this any other way."

"…" Velvet remained silent, but a sad smile formed across her face.

"You mean so much to me Velvet. Whether you stay as a Daemon or try to become human again, I'll support your desire either way." Eleanor smiled as she said, "If you really want to be with me, I will be with you. Always."

Velvet held up her hands as she playfully said, "You might be getting a few steps ahead, Eleanor."

"Come on." Eleanor took a step closer as she remarked, "I'm being serious!"

"I know." Velvet's then had to ask, "So you'd really be okay with being in a relationship with me?"

Eleanor leaned forward as she stated, "Of course I would. I just said I would."

Velvet scratched the back of her head as she remarked, "It still kinda feels like we'd be committing a double taboo. We're both girls, and I'm pretty sure a romance between a Daemon and an Exorcist is forbidden."

Eleanor had enough as she sharply waved her arm and exclaimed, "Oh screw those damn taboos! You're what I care about!"

"Wow …" Velvet eyes briefly widened as she softly replied, "I never would've thought I'd hear you say that."

Eleanor put her hand through her hair as she said, "Yeah well … I pretty much said that about the Abbey when I decided to be on your side.

"Hmph …" Velvet closed her eyes and nodded, "Fair enough."

Eleanor took another step closer to Velvet as she declared, "Velvet … I like you. I really like you, and I would love to give us a chance if you really want to try. Do you want to?"

Without any hesitation, Velvet put her human hand on Eleanor's cheek as she told the Exorcist, "I really want to."

Under the star light sky the newly made girlfriends embraced and kissed with no one else to witness. It was a calm and tranquil moment when their lips touched. It felt as if time had stopped. The barriers between them had all but erased, and they didn't care for such matters. This moment was about them and only them.

When their lips parted, Eleanor chuckled before musing out loud, "You still feel pretty human to me, Velvet. Your heart's beating faster."

Velvet smiled as she held Eleanor closer, "So is yours."

No other words were necessary. They kissed once more before deciding to leave the plateau.

As the two newly made lovers walked down the plateau hand-in-hand., the Exorcist and the Daemon smiled at each other. Unfortunately behind the Daemon's smile, there were other thoughts in the back of her mind. _"I'm sorry Eleanor, but since you lost the fight there were some things I still couldn't tell you. I can't tell you or the others. You and Phi would be the only ones who could stop me. I'm sorry, but those words need to remain unspoken."_

/

 **Author Notes** : It finally happened. Even though Eleanor lost the duel, she ended up winning something more. A relationship with the 'Lord of the Calamity'. Unfortunately, because she lost the duel, she will not find out what Velvet is hiding from her until it is too late. Regardless, I'm very proud with how this turned out, and I hope you all liked it.

For those of you who might be reading "Sorrowful Peace", the two stories are indeed connected. Sorrowful Peace takes place after the events of this story.

In Chapter Seven of Sorrowful Peace, Magilou says the same thing to Eleanor about Velvet never hating her, but Eleanor doesn't say anything in response. She already heard Velvet say the same thing. She was a little surprised to hear Magilou more or less tell her the same thing in a different fashion and different circumstances.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas 2018 and a Happy New Year. Please provide reviews, and I will see you for the finale.


	8. Unspoken Dream

**Author Notes** : The conclusion to Spoken & Unspoken Words has arrived. At the end of the previous chapter, Velvet and Eleanor had their duel, and they finally became a couple. What will happen next? Be sure to read the conclusion.

After completing this story, be sure to check out "Sorrowful Peace" since it acted as a concurrent continuation of this story's plot, and it too will reach its conclusion soon as well. If you enjoyed reading this story, you will probably like that story as well.

I hope you will all enjoy the conclusion to this story and provide feedback. It is always appreciated.

/

Spoken & Unspoken Words

Chapter 8 – Final – Unspoken Dream

/

Dreams are wonderful

Dreams are not reality

You must be prepared

/

As Velvet and Eleanor walked back to camp they decided it would be for the best to spend the first night as a couple away from the rest of the Aifread Pirates and 'Magilou's Menagerie'. They decided it would be easier to circle around their camp to the ship. Unbeknownst to them, they were spotted by a few people they were attempting to avoid.

"Ohh!" Magilou slyly said with a smug grin on her face.

"I gotta say …" Rokurou seemed pleasantly surprised, "I wasn't expecting this."

"Neither did I." Eizen replied, "But I can't help but feel this is a logical conclusion."

"Sure." Rokurou was playfully sarcastic as he remarked, "From enemies to sorta friends to girlfriends. That seems completely logical."

"..." Eizen didn't say anything as he looked at Rokurou with his arms crossed.

"But …" Rokurou conceded, "Those two have become really close. Maybe I shouldn't be 'that' surprised."

"Exactly." Magilou was rather pleased by this turn of events as she smugly pointed out, "Their feelings were becoming 'way' too obvious."

"Girlfriends?" Laphicet spoke up. The other three turned around. They had been so distracted by the sight of Velvet and Eleanor that they had forgotten Laphicet was with them. Laphicet tilted his head as he asked, "Does that mean Velvet and Eleanor are together now."

"Wait!" Rokurou asked in surprise, "You know what's going on?"

"How would you know that?" Eizen questioned.

"Bienfu gave me some books" Laphicet explained, "Velvet and Eleanor confiscated most of the books before I could read them, but there were a couple they missed. One of them had two girls becoming more than friends."

"Really?" Rokurou rhetorically asked in a scary tone.

"Is that right?" Eizen did the same as the space between his eyebrows became smaller.

They both slowly turned their attention to their resident Witch, Magilou. Even she felt nervous by the aura they presented. She held up her hands as there was a slight unease in her voice, "W- Wait! I didn't give him the books. Bienfu did."

"You're just trying to pass the buck." Rokurou pointed at Magilou as he stated, "You should take responsibility for your Malak."

Eizen concurred, "I agree."

Laphicet spoke as he stood between Magilou and the duo. "You don't need to pick on Magilou. It was a really beautiful story. It kinda remind me of Velvet and Eleanor with how they started off as enemies and become friends overtime after they understood each other. The two found out they had a lot more in common than they thought just like Velvet and Eleanor." He smiled as he said, "I'm really happy they're together."

"Well …" Rokurou reluctantly said, "If the kid's happy I guess there isn't much to be upset about."

"Agreed …" Eizen then warned Magilou, "You're off the hook this time, but I'd be more careful next time."

"Heh … Heh …" Magilou nervously chuckled, "I'll keep that in mind."

"Bien." Bienfu materialized from Magilou's body, and he bowed his head, "I'm sorry for the trouble I caused."

"Hmph …" Eizen scratched the back of his head, "I believe the person who made a pack with you was an 'extremely' bad influence."

"Yeah." Rokurou stroked his chin, "There's sometimes no escaping that. I know I've had my fair share of bad influences. "

"Hey!" Magilou loudly protested, "I'm standing right here you know!"

"We know." Eizen and Rokurou casually said together.

Even Magilou couldn't help but feel annoyed as she mused, "Geez. He gets a free pass because he's a Malak? Talk about a double standard! Doesn't the saying, 'All's well that ends well', apply here?"

"Well …" Eizen reluctantly admitted, "Laphicet does look happy."

Rokurou then said, "It does save us an awkward explanation over what is going on here."

Eizen crossed his arms as he pointed out, "Only because Magilou and Bienfu desensitized him first."

Before they knew it, Magilou was between the two of them. She outstretched both of her arms and patted them as she remarked in a sing-song tone, "Great. Then everything is okay."

"I guess …" Rokurou did not share the enthusiasm.

Eizen was even less enthusiastic as he said, "'Okay' might be a bit of a stretch."

"Hey." Magilou remarked, "A 'stretch' is all I need."

"I hate to butt in here," The three turned their attention to Laphicet who said, "but shouldn't we all be happy they're together?

Rokurou looked over to see the Daemon and the Exorcist walking hand in hand. While it seemed like a cliché moment in a play, it didn't change the fact it had a certain 'charm' to it. He stroked his chin as he remarked with a grin, "Well it's definitely a big improvement over how they started off as."

"That's not saying much," Eizen then stated, "however, it isn't an unpleasant sight."

Magilou remarked, "Well I for one am very satisfied with this outcome, but I think we've watched them long enough."

"Wait a minute." Rokurou raised an eyebrow as he inquired, "Is Magilou actually being considerate to someone? That's surprising."

Eizen inquisitively looked at the Witch as he stated, "Almost suspicious."

Magilou shrugged her shoulders as she replied, "What can I say? We'll get plenty more opportunities to see them together soon enough. For now, this is their moment."

Laphicet nodded, "Yeah. I'm sure they want to be alone. Let's give them some space." After the young Malak said that, they all went back to their respective tents. However, Laphicet briefly looked back at the couple and smiled.

/

After Velvet and Eleanor reached the Van Eltia, Velvet could tell that they had the ship to themselves. She was thankful that all the other crew members along with 'Magilou's Menagerie' remained on the beach. The two of them stood on the bow of the ship and looked up to the sky once again. As on the plateau, they could see more stars that they could ever dream of. It could always give them a sense of wonder.

As the two stood next to each other, Velvet glanced over to Eleanor before curling her hand around Eleanor's waist to bring them closer, which caused both of them to blush. Eleanor was especially flushed, but it didn't bother her at all. In fact, she leaned in closer to Velvet as they looked up to the sky.

"I don't think I could ever get tired of looking at the stars." Velvet said out loud.

"Neither could I, especially if I'm watching them with you." Eleanor replied.

"…" Velvet smiled as she glanced at Eleanor before looking up again.

"The plateau had a much better view …" Eleanor then realized, "You know what. We haven't taken Laphicet up there. If anyone could appreciate a good spot to watch the stars, it'd be him."

"You're not wrong." Velvet remarked, "That kid enjoys all kinds of things. We'll bring him with us tomorrow."

Eleanor looked to Velvet and said, "You know what? I'm glad we could be like this now."

"Yes …" Velvet nodded as she continued to look up, "Now I feel bad for always thinking how you wanted to steal Phi."

"That too, but I'm just happy we can be like 'this'." Eleanor pressed against Velvet more.

"Yeah …" Velvet held Eleanor closer in turn. "Thank you, Eleanor. Thank you for everything."

"I can say the same to you." Eleanor replied.

/

After looking up at the sky for a while, Eleanor suggested, "Do you think we should go to bed? It's starting to get really late."

"True." Velvet then stated, "Laphicet will want to go swimming in the morning, so let's be sure to be ready for that." When they were heading back to the ship hand-in-hand, Velvet suddenly stopped and shook her head, "No. There is something else I'd like to talk to you about."

Eleanor continued to hold Velvet's hand as she asked, "What is it?"

"It's about …" Velvet cut herself off as she let go of Eleanor's hand and said, "I was going to talk to you about this after we headed toward Logress, but I might as well talk about it now."

"I'm listening." Eleanor looked Velvet in the eye, and Velvet could see she was ready and willing to listen intently.

"Laphicet has been very happy so far during this vacation. I'm glad it's been able to go so well for him so far." Velvet then motioned to Eleanor, "And it is all thanks to you."

"Huh?" Eleanor tilted her head.

"It's because you became his vessel." Velvet crossed her arms and looked away as she continued her confession, "I almost got him killed because I was reckless … because I was selfish. But you were willing to be his vessel even though we were enemies. It's thanks to you he's still alive to enjoy all of this."

"…" Eleanor took a moment to close her eyes and then reopened them as she told Velvet, "You don't have to thank me."

Velvet shook her head as she casually replied, "A typical response from you. Don't forget that he would've been long dead because of me."

"No." Eleanor shook her head as she told her girlfriend, "Don't sell yourself short Velvet. Stop always doing that."

"…" Velvet remained silent as her mouth went slightly agape as she listened to what Eleanor was about to say next.

"He wouldn't have been able to enjoy anything if it wasn't for you. If it was up to me …" Eleanor pointed to herself as she clarified, "The 'me' back then, he'd still be that emotionless doll under Theresa. He wouldn't even have a name. They'd still be referring to him as 'Number 2'. You're the only one who gave him his freedom and a name after you took him from the Abbey."

Velvet replied in a deadpan tone, "You do realize I technically kidnapped him, right?"

"Um ..." Eleanor awkwardly replied.

"You were there." Velvet reminded her girlfriend, "A lot happened, and it was kind of an accident. He was holding onto my hand when I stopped him from blowing himself up, but it was still sorta kidnapping."

"You did sorta kidnap me too," Eleanor pointed out, "but I don't hold that against you. Not anymore. We already know Laphicet's fine with it. He said so himself."

Velvet nodded, "Yeah …"

"Sure you 'kidnapped' us for one reason or another, but it all worked out." Eleanor stated with full sincerity, "I'm pretty sure neither Laphicet nor I would still be alive if you hadn't kidnapped us."

Velvet reluctantly agreed, "I suppose …"

Eleanor stated with certainty, "Well I'm sure of it. Laphicet is sure of it too."

"…" Velvet remained silent.

Eleanor sighed as she told her girlfriend, "I've said it before, but I'll say it again, Velvet. All of us played a part Velvet, and we all made mistakes. Some bigger than others, but we all made them. As much as I hate to say it, I used to see Malakhim as tools to. I might've treated mine better than others, but I'm still guilty of what other Exorcists have done."

"No." Velvet insisted, "You don't need to lump yourself with them."

Eleanor then stated, "But I almost did something even 'worse'. I almost went through with it."

"But you didn't." Velvet stated, "Even if you tried to go through with your 'secret mission', I would've stopped you, but I never had to."

"Hmm …" Eleanor looked down as she didn't know what else to say.

"I think that's enough of that." Velvet sighed, "I didn't want to make things turn sour before we went to bed, we should get our rest, so we can enjoy the rest of our vacation."

"Heh." Eleanor chuckled, "I never would've thought I'd hear you say that."

Velvet crossed her arms. "I never would've thought I'd say that to you."

Eleanor grinned as she replied, "Touché."

"You want to go to sleep now?" Velvet offered.

"Y- Actually, there is one thing I've been curious about." Eleanor stated, "It kinda just came to me while we were talking."

"Oh really?" Velvet asked, "What would that be?"

"Velvet …" Eleanor hesitatingly said, "I know this is a 'sensitive' topic, but I've been meaning to ask … um …" 

Before Eleanor realized it, Velvet was right in front of her. Velvet put her hand on Eleanor's shoulder and assured her, "You don't have to worry, Eleanor. Just think about what you want to ask me.

Eleanor put her hand on top of Velvet's as she said, "Okay … Velvet this is a bit …" Eleanor corrected herself, "No. This is definitely a 'sensitive' topic, but I've always been curious about Laphicet." Velvet was listening intently as Eleanor asked, "Why did you name Laphicet 'Laphicet'?"

"…" Velvet's eyes widened as she felt herself back away involuntarily.

Eleanor stated, "I know this might not be an easy question, but I just want to know. If it's too difficult, I understand."

Velvet softly replied, "… An accident."

Eleanor leaned forward and titled her head, "What?"

Velvet repeated, "It was an accident. Since Phi didn't have a name, Rokurou told me that I should probably think of a name for him. For a while, I referred to him as 'Number 2', but even I thought that didn't seem right. I honestly couldn't think of a name for him, and a part of me … well I wasn't sure if I wanted to name him. I'm sure you can take a guess."

"…" Eleanor silently nodded her head.

Velvet scratched the back of her head as she said, "That started to change when Phi was starting to gain emotions after I separated him from Theresa's control. Then when he was in danger … When I saw him falling, I … I just forgot everything. Since he looked like Laphi, that was the first name that came to me. My head just went back to that night, and I called out Laphicet's name. After that, I decided to go with calling him that. It may not have been fair, but that's what happened."

"I see." Eleanor wasn't sure how she should feel, but she did her best to understand as she replied, "That is quite a story."

Velvet asked, "Are you saying Phi never told you any of this?"

Eleanor shook her head, "Not exactly. Bits and pieces, but I never knew the whole story. I basically knew that he was referred to as a number when you saved him."

"I guess that was Phi's way of wanting you to hear the rest from me." Velvet remarked.

"And I'm glad he did." Eleanor grabbed Velvet's 'human' hand with both her hands as she said, "I want us to be honest with each other like this. I want us to fill in the gaps. That way we can always know what we need to do next."

"…" Velvet smiled before telling Eleanor, "This will take some getting used to, but I will do my best."

/

After they entered the ship, Velvet decided to bring Eleanor to her room. Her bed was a little bigger than the one that Eleanor had. The two of them were getting ready for bed when Eleanor was starting to feel a little nervous.

Eleanor was undoing her pigtails as she asked, "Are you really comfortable with me sleeping next to you?"

Velvet merely replied, "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well ..." Eleanor jokingly replied, "Aren't you worried I might put a spear through your heart?"

"Heh." Velvet laughed it off as she told Eleanor, "That's ancient history. I'd rather focus on what we are now."

Eleanor absentmindedly remarked, "You can be oddly forgiving."

"…" Velvet lacked a response to that.

"Um …" Eleanor's eyes widened when she realized what she said as she bowed her head, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like …"

"It's fine." Velvet interrupted Eleanor as she stated, "Some things are far easier to forgive than others."

Eleanor nodded, "Yes that's true …"

Velvet happily told her girlfriend, "Me, Laphicet, and the others all trust you with our lives now, especially after everything we've been through. We're glad to … I'm glad that you're here."

"That's just …" Eleanor's face brightened up as she told Velvet, "It really makes me happy to hear you say that, Velvet."

Velvet smiled as she said, "Believe it or not, I'm happy to say it."

Eleanor only found herself capable of saying, "Velvet …"

"Anyway," Velvet held out her hand to Eleanor and told her, "it's been a long day."

"Yes it has," Eleanor accepted the offer and spoke as Velvet's human like hand held hers, "But it's been one of the best."

Afterwards the two girls cuddled together in Velvet's bed. They embraced tightly, and their faces were in front of each other. Velvet turned her head to blow out the last candle. After the lighting was down, Velvet told Eleanor, "I'll see you in the morning."

Eleanor happily replied, "Good night, Velvet."

Shortly afterwards, the two girls drifted off to sleep. It as a peaceful sleep for Velvet. No nightmares of her past were plaguing her. Nor was Velvet plagued by the illusions or spirts of those she had previously consumed with her Daemon arm. She slept contently with a smile spread across her face. It had been too long since something like that had happened, but that didn't matter to Velvet in the slightest.

/

When morning came, Velvet could feel the rays of sun shining through her window and hitting her face. It caused Velvet to wince as sleep began to lose hold of her. Her eyes struggled to open. She put her left hand up to shield her eyes. As Velvet's eyes opened, she immediately noticed something wrong. Her left hand was not bandaged.

Velvet's eyes widened as she catapulted from bed. She grabbed her left wrist and she saw that not only was her arm not covered in bandages, it did not turn into a Daemon arm. It remained human. That meant she was 'human'.

"About time you woke up." Velvet's ears perked at the sound of a family voice. Her eyes darted to see someone who looked like Eleanor standing in the room. "You still half asleep?"

The person who appeared to be Eleanor, but her hair was not tied up into the trademark pigtails. It was worn straight down which reached past her shoulders. She also wasn't wearing her Exorcist outfit either. They appeared to be clothing commonly worn by those who live in Eastgand, specifically Aball. Velvet's eyes then began to slowly rotate around the room to see she was not in her cabin. The room was much bigger and so was the bed. Velvet also realized that based on how the room felt, she wasn't on a ship either.

"Hello?" The girl who looked like Eleanor leaned toward Velvet who then became stiff when this 'Eleanor' asked, "Something wrong?"

Velvet warily asked, "Eleanor?"

"Huh?" Eleanor raised an eyebrow as he backed up, "Of course it is."

"Wh … Where am I?" Velvet asked as she looked at the room."

"Home … Where else" Eleanor asked her in a nonchalant tone.

"I don't …" Velvet began to say

"Is your headache still bothering you?" Eleanor asked as she leaned forward, "Let me check."

"Huh?" When Velvet looked in Eleanor's direction, Eleanor's face was in front of hers. Before she knew it, Eleanor's forehead was touching her own. Velvet's remained silent as her mouth was agape at the feeling of Eleanor's hard skull and soft skin touch hers. Velvet could feel her cheeks heat up as Eleanor pulled away.

"Hmm … You seem okay, but just in case." Eleanor leaned forehead again and gave Velvet a peck on her forehead.

"…" Velvet felt completely dumbfounded and lightheaded by what happened.

"Are you still out of it?" Eleanor asked, "Don't worry. I've already started making breakfast. We're going to be having guests remember?"

"Guests?" Velvet tilted her head.

"You must be feeling lightheaded. You should get dressed and go outside." Eleanor advised before leaving the room, "You'll probably feel better." She left behind a still confused Velvet.

/

As dumbfounded as Velvet was, she decided to take this 'Eleanor's' advise. As she was getting dressed she saw a comb on the dresser. It was the comb Laphi gave to her before the fateful day. Velvet held it in her hand before putting it back on the dresser.

As Velvet left, she could smell the wonderful aroma of whatever Eleanor was cooking. There was no mistaking this sweet smell as it entered her nostrils. Eleanor was making them waffles and pancakes. As much as Velvet wished to enjoy the aroma, she felt the need to leave. The feeling that Velvet was experiencing in this 'home' was simultaneously familiar and foreign.

When Velvet closed the front door behind her, she leaned back on it, and she had to tell herself out loud, "This is just a dream."

No sooner had Velvet left the house she was greeted by another familiar voice, "How are you doing, Velvet?"

Velvet's ears perked up as she looked toward the source. It was someone Velvet could never forget. "Niko …?"

Niko winked and said, "That's my name. Don't wear it out … Wha …?"

Velvet hugged Niko before saying, "It's good to see you."

"Hey Velvet," Niko patted Velvet's back, "I appreciate the 'extra affection', and I know you moved out of your old home, but you don't need to be so dramatic. You only moved like ten minutes away not a continent."

Velvet let go as she asked, "How long ago was that?"

"How long? Hmm …" Niko thought for a moment before replying, "Hasn't it been about three years since you got back?"

Velvet rubbed her head as she asked, "From what?'

Niko tilted her head as she asked, "What going on with you?"

"I umm …" Velvet pointed to her head as she said, "Had a bit of a headache."

"Oh." Niko replied, "That's too bad. Well I'll be happy to give you a refresher for your memory. You went on a journey to save Laphicet and Eleanor helped you do it. You met her during your journey."

Velvet merely replied, "I see …"

"Heh." Niko nudged Velvet's arm as she remarked, "I know we made jokes about it when we were kids, but I honestly didn't think you swung that way."

Velvet asked, "Is that a problem?

Niko shook her head, "No. Of course not. I was just surprised. Eleanor is a great girl, and I'm happy you found someone you love."

"Love …" Velvet couldn't help but smile as she repeated that word. 

Niko replied, "The rest of your family was pretty good about it too. I thought for sure that Arthur would hate it, but he was surprisingly cool with it. 

Velvet crossed her arms as she remarked, "He can surprise you in a lot of ways." 

"Yeah. I bet he can. Anyway," Niko gave Velvet a thumbs up before taking her leave. "I hope you'll feel better.

As Velvet watched Niko walk away, Velvet mused to herself, "Niko will always be Niko …" Velvet looked down and bowed her head as she said, "I'm sorry …"

Velvet's ears perked at the sound of the front door when she heard Eleanor call out to her, "Velvet! Time for breakfast!"

To describe the 'breakfast' as delicious would be an understatement. However, it was more than enough proof that this was in fact a dream since Velvet could taste how delicious the food was. A taste to savior.

/

After breakfast was over, they took care of their respective chores. Eleanor tended to their garden. She was checking on a tomato as she said, "Look at this, Velvet! They're coming along really well.

Velvet smiled as she remarked, "You've really got a talent for this, Eleanor."

"Heh. Heh." Eleanor appeared to notice something when she excitedly said, "Hey Velvet! Here they come!"

Velvet turned to see their guests were almost here. When Velvet saw them, it was difficult to describe how she felt. 'Complicated' would probably be the best word she could use.

All four of them were people that Velvet had known well. Her older sister, Celica, was holding a bag while the man walking alongside her was none other than her husband, 'Arthur'. He was not 'Artorius'. He was the 'Arthur' she had known most of her life. The fact he was smiling and had two usable arms was proof enough.

In those arms, Velvet saw that 'Arthur' was carrying a young boy. Velvet immediately knew who he was. He was the human version of 'Phi' that was never born into this world. He was a little boy. No older than eight or nine years old. Velvet couldn't help but laugh as she saw him cling to his father.

There was one last person in the group Velvet was most surprised to see. He was older and taller, but Velvet knew who he was. It was Laphi. He was walking fine on his own without any shortness of breath nor exhaustion. This truly was a dream.

When 'Phi' looked in Velvet's direction, he asked his father to be let down. As soon as his feet touched the ground, 'Phi' was off like a shot. He was running straight for Velvet. He even shouted, "Aunt Velvet."

Hearing the words 'Aunt Velvet' filled Velvet with such warmth and joy. She couldn't help but smile at the boy running towards her. Instinctively, Velvet knelt down and held out her arms. Phi ran to them. He wrapped his arms around her neck while she lifted him up.

"Hey." An unfamiliar voice spoke up. "You don't need to be so dramatic. It's only been a few days. You're acting like it's been forever."

Velvet looked to see the source of the voice. It was none other than her younger brother, 'Laphi.' His voice had changed. In this world, he lived passed childhood, and he made it to adolescence. He was slowly becoming a man. The man he should've become.

"What's the matter 'Laphi'?" Eleanor teasingly asked, "Jealous that you're no longer Velvet's favorite?"

"Wha …?" Laphi was taken aback by the unexpected question. "No! And I told you to stop calling me that!" He indignantly insisted, "My name's Laphicet."

"Yeah. Yeah. Laphi-chan." Eleanor waved off her future brother-in-law to his dismay.

"Hey!" Laphi loudly protested.

"…" Velvet couldn't help but feel amused by the exchange between her girlfriend and little brother as she continued to hold her nephew in her arms.

"Heh. Heh." Velvet heard her older sister chuckle as she said, "They get along so well."

"You think so?" Arthur asked in amusement.

"I know so. Just like a brother and sister." Celica put her hand on her stomach as she said, "Someday that might be our children, too."

Arthur placed his hand on his wife's stomach as well, "Let's hope so."

Velvet didn't notice at first due to the bag Celica was holding, but there was a 'bump' on Celica's stomach that was showing. She was pregnant with a second child. A child that was never allowed to exist.

"Hmm …" Velvet remained staring at Celica even as she placed 'Phi' on the ground until she heard her sister's voice.

"Is something wrong, Velvet?" Celica sked in concern.

"Oh um …" Velvet snapped out of it as she nervously asked, "How are you feeling, Celica?"

"Me?" Celica happily told her sister as she placed her hand as her stomach, "I'm fine. In fact, I've never been better."

"That's …" Velvet hesitatingly replied, "That's great to hear."

"The doctor says this little girl will be just fine." Celica happily rubbed her stomach.

Velvet's eyes widened as she asked out loud, "Girl?"

Celica's hand remained on her stomach as she replied, "You told me you thought this baby is a girl, remember? You were right about my son, so I figured it'd be best to go along with what you thought."

"Oh um …" Velvet awkwardly asked, "Have you decided on a name?"

"We have." Arthur spoke as he held Celica's hand, "We decided we'd name her after your mother."

"You …" Velvet felt an odd sense of relief as she asked, "You did?"

Celica nodded, "Yes. We know you and Laphicet didn't get to know her like I did, but we're hoping things can be different this time around."

Velvet nodded, "Yeah …"

Eleanor spoke up which caused eyes to focus on her, "Velvet, are we going to keep our guests standing outside all day or are we going to invite them inside?"

"Right!" Velvet nodded her head, "Welcome."

Celica chuckled, "Heh. Heh. You don't need to be so stiff."

"Heh … eh … Right …" Velvet smiled as she and Eleanor welcomed them into their home.

/

The following events felt as if they were played in fast-forward or rather the dream felt that way. Everyone gathered at the table. Velvet and Eleanor served dinner and a good time was had by all. Everyone would talk about times that Velvet could remember and could not recall. Eleanor even brought up about how she and Velvet met when Velvet went on her journey to get the ingredients to cure Laphi after Celica talked about how she found Arthur resting under a tree. Then, everyone teased Laphi for being the last of the 'Crowe Siblings' to be single.

Eventually, Velvet asked to be excuse herself, but she didn't stay in the house. She left. As she walked away, she eventually found herself at the Cliffside ruins. The very ruins that housed Innominat. Velvet walked passed the hole Innominat should be in, and she starred out to the ocean.

What she experienced on this day was a glimpse of a wonderful life. An older sister still alive with her loving husband. A clingy but lovable nephew who Velvet cherished with a possible niece on the way. A younger brother who would live to reach his potential. Most of all, a loving girlfriend who loved Velvet just as much as Velvet loved her. They lived in their own home in a peaceful village near family and friends. It would've been a wonderful life if it was real.

As Velvet continued to stare out, Velvet's ears perked when she hear a familiar voice, "I shouldn't be surprised that you're here." Velvet turned to see it was Eleanor.

"…" Velvet turned around to face 'Eleanor' before telling her, "I know this is a dream, Eleanor. You've not going to convince me otherwise."

'Eleanor' shook her head, "I'm not."

Velvet was surprised by the response as she asked on impulse, "You're not?"

'Eleanor' confirmed, "You're right. This is a dream."

"Then …" Velvet looked from side to side before looking at Eleanor, "Then … what's going on … It couldn't have been Melchior … Is Innominat or …"

Eleanor held up her hand as she assured Velvet, "No one has done anything, Velvet. No one but you." Eleanor pointed at Velvet's chest.

That surprised Velvet even more which caused her to ask, "What?"

Eleanor appeared happy as she informed Velvet, "This is just a normal dream, Velvet. You'll wake up from this. However, before you do, let me ask, 'Did you have a good time?'"

"Yes …" Velvet smiled as she told Eleanor, "This has been a wonderful dream … I wish it was real, but I know it's not. As much as I wish it was real, I'm not going to let a dream take me over. I will fight to move on."

Eleanor smiled as she said, "That's just like you. Not that it's a bad thing." Afterwards, a light radiated from Eleanor's body that forced Velvet to shield her eyes.

/

Velvet opened her yes to see she was in her room on the Van Eltia. It took Velvet a moment to remember what she had experienced was nothing more than a dream. A beautiful dream that she could remember every detail of. However, it was a dream nevertheless. Velvet couldn't help but feel disappointment. However, Velvet turned her head, and she could see at least one aspect of her dream was not fake which caused Velvet to smile.

Sleeping next to Velvet's left side was none other than her new girlfriend, Eleanor Hume. The Exorcist was soundly sleeping with a few strands of hair covering her face. It was probably the messiest that Velvet had ever seen Eleanor's hair. Even so, she was still beautiful.

On instinct, Velvet moved her bandaged left hand to her girlfriend's face, but she stopped and pulled back. She shifted her body on the bed and he held out her right hand to move the hair strands to have a better look. She was careful not to wake Eleanor up.

Velvet smiled upon seeing Eleanor's face. She appeared so adorable and innocent. Velvet could only imagine what Eleanor was dreaming, but Velvet was sure it must have been beautiful and peaceful. If the Lord of Calamity could dream of something like that, then Eleanor most certainly could.

Velvet then laid her head back, and she looked up at the ceiling. She then figured she couldn't go straight back to sleep. Instead, Velvet decided to carefully get out of the bed to avoid disturbing Eleanor. She then changed into her regular clothes since she figured she wouldn't be coming back right away. For some reason, even though her nightwear was less revealing than her regular clothes, she didn't want to be seen outside in them.

The floor creaked on her way out but Velvet looked over the shoulder to see Eleanor's slumber remained undisturbed before heading out.

Velvet walked onto the deck of the Van Eltia. Even with the ship remaining docked by their vacation island, Velvet could still feel a light sea breeze that caused her hair to more. Even though everything should feel the same, it didn't. Quite a bit had changed for Velvet in the past few days. Everything that was familiar now felt completely different to her. Not different in a bad way. Just different, and Velvet didn't mind it at all as she leaned on the railing to stare into the starlit horizon that laid before her.

The 'Lord of Calamity' knew that there was more to the world beyond that horizon. She had been to many places of the past few months of her journey to her revenge. She had encountered and experienced many things. She had met many people, and they all had their own impact on her. The two that would always stand out to her would be Laphicet and Eleanor. Without either of them, she wouldn't be alive nor would she have been able to come to the decision of what she had to do.

As the wind continued to blow in her hair, Velvet saw that the night sky was beginning to wane. The sunrise to a new day was beginning, but Velvet could still see some stars in the sky. She could only imagine what it must be like up there or what it could be like seeing their world from such a height. Of course, Velvet wouldn't have to imagine that for long.

Soon it would be time for Velvet to meet her destiny. She had every intention of meeting it head on.

Velvet raised her bandaged left hand in the air. She said to herself, "Phi … Eleanor …" Velvet closed her left hand and said, with a smile, "I'm glad I met you. I'm going to miss you." Velvet then closed her fist.

~Fin~

/

 **Author Notes** : Finally, "Spoken & Unspoken Words" has come to an end. Anyone who has played the game is aware of what Velvet's canonical fate will be. It is a truly bittersweet ending.

While Eleanor and Velvet became a couple in the penultimate chapter, it doesn't mean all their insecurities are going to magically go away. Additionally, while I wanted to show them having some affection for each other, that doesn't mean they will become completely comfortable being more affectionate beyond normal girlfriend stuff. At this point, the most affection they can give each other is a light kiss and that would be it.

Personally, I'm glad that I had this chapter acted as a Denouement for this story. As I've mentioned in my other stories, I feel like producing a Denouement allows the story to reach a better conclusion since the story isn't forced to wrap up immediately after the climax. It gives the story or the arc a little bit of breathing room to conclude.

For those of you who gathered, the follow-up to this story is 'Sorrowful Peace' which was being produced at the same time as this story. The rough draft of the final chapters for this story were completed shortly before I also finished the rough draft conclusion of that story. If you liked this story, be sure to check out Sorrowful Peace too.

A part of me would be interested in producing a mid-equal that takes place between "Spoken & Unspoken Words" and "Sorrowful Peace" to showcase some of the time Velvet and Eleanor were a couple. However, the lack of review for either of these stories is a major deterrent. While the number was not bad, it wasn't good enough to make me feel that producing another story set in this continuity would be worth the effort.

For those of you who supported this story, thank you very much. Be sure to leave a review regarding your final thoughts of this story. Feedback will always be appreciated. If you could provide reviews for more than this chapter, that will make me very happy. I also would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas 2018 and a Happy New Year.

I hope you'll continue to support my future updates for my other stories. Until next time.


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